The Perfect World of Kai
by swansae515
Summary: This is an adaptation of the manga Piano no Mori. The story and characters belong to Isshiki Makoto and the translators. Rated M because the manga does nothing to soften an often harsh but beautiful reality. This is a story of two boys trying to find the meaning of life in playing the piano, and grow up to challenge the famous Chopin competition and also a story about humanity.
1. Piano in the Forest Pt1

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 1 – Piano in the Forest

"My name is Amamiya Shuhei, and I'm from Tokyo. I play the piano. I've been taking lessons since I was 4 years old.

"And my dream is to become a pianist."

Amamiya Shuhei, 11 year-old and new kid, stood at the front of classroom 5-3. Behind him, the teacher smiled encouragingly. Most of his classmates' reactions ranged from confused to awestruck.

"Did you hear that?" the biggest boy said, not impressed. "He plays the piano. What a wuss."

When class ended, girls crowded around the Amamiya's desk. Boys who play the piano must be high class, and classy boys are a rare species in this town. He's being treated nicely now, but that won't last, because someone has his eye on him. He has to be careful of "the rule of the new transfer student" prank.

Kinpira made his move at the end of the day during chores. Amamiya-kun was sweeping the music room floor.

"A piano in the forest?" Amamiya asked.

"Yup! A piano in the forest." The speaker is Kanehira Daigaku-kun. His nickname is Kinpira. He was huge compared to his two lackeys standing behind him. "You do know about the big forest near this school, right?"

"Oh, that forest…" Amamiya did remember seeing a forest on the side of the road as they drove into town.

"In the forest, there's a broken piano. It won't play, 'cause it's broken," Kinpira explained. He raised his arms up over his head and looked at Amamiya menacingly. "But! That piano…it's odd…I don't know why, but at night, porronnnn, porronnn, the piano plays all by itself! Porronnnn! Porronnn!" Kinpira waved his arms over Amamiya's head as though playing the piano in the air. "Porronnn! Porronnn!"

"And around the piano, a dead body was discovered," one of the Kinpira's friends said right next to to Amamiya's face, startling him. "It must have been somebody who had gotten lost in the forest… And there is a rumor that a ghost plays the piano every night!"

"Porronnnn!" The boys crowded in around Amamiya, getting closer and closer with their arms as they imitated the haunted piano. "Porronn! Porronnnn! Porronn!"

BAN!

"Wah!" A sudden crash of a real piano scared the scarers. A small, light-haired boy stood in the corner by the piano, laughing. He had leaned on the keys of the piano, hard, with both hands.

"Kai!" Kinpira said. "Why you… want a beating?"

"Why?" The boy shot back. "I was adding ambiance to your stupid act." The boys cleaning next to the piano were laughing at Kinpira's reaction too.

"Damn it!" Kinpira said.

"Kin-chan," the smallest of the lackeys said. "We've got to beat him up later."

_So_, Amamiya thought, looking at the light-haired boy laughing with the boys around him, unbothered by Kinpira. _His name is Kai. Ichinose Kai._

_At first glance, I thought he was a girl. _

"So Amamiya-kun," Kinpira said. "Like I said, you'll go for the test of courage, right?"

"What?" He had no idea what Kinpira was talking about.

Kinpira smirked. "Go to the forest, and play the haunted piano."

"What?"

"If you can do that, you can join us!" Kinpira said. "And then I'll consider you as a man."

"Oh…well…that's impossible," Amamiya protested. "I can't play a broken piano…"

Everyone was listening in on this little scene now.

"Yes you can," Kinpira said, leering. "Because you learned to play the piano since you were 4 years old."

"Oh…" Amamiya didn't know how to respond to that. _They…They are bullying? Me? Because I'm the new transfer student?_

"Hey!" Kinpira said when Amamiya didn't reply. "This is a test! To prove whether Amamiya-kun is really a man or not!"

"…this is the first time I've heard of this kind of test," muttered one of the boys in the corner watching Kinpira's gang.

"He just made it up on the spot," Kai said.

"Either you play the haunted piano in the forest or…" Kinpira continued, "You show your penis to everyone! It's your choice."

"See?" said the boy next to Kai. "Kinpira always says 'show everyone your penis." Amamiya was red and sweating. He was a good boy and a good student. The very thought of it made him uncomfortable.

"It's just a test of courage, so it doesn't matter if the piano makes a sound or not," said the short boy who told Kinpira to beat Kai up. "So don't mind it! It's okay if the piano doesn't make a sound!" He patted Amamiya on the shoulder. "We all know that piano won't make a sound."

Kai had been watching very intently. Now he spoke: "That piano…does make a sound. Amamiya, don't worry about it. The piano will make sound. If you can play the piano, it will definitely make a sound."

"Don't lie, Kai!" Kinpira shouted. "When I did my test of courage, the piano didn't make a single sound!"

"That's because you were scared!" said Kai, shrugging easily. "You just touched the keys. You never played piano. You were just too scared!" Kai grinned. "Heh, doesn't that mean you have to show your penis now? Your small…"

"I'll kill you!" shouted Kinpira.

"Tinyyyy…." continued Kai.

"Hey hey!" said another boy, punching Kai. "You crazy, Kai? He'll kill you if you say that!"

"Penis!"

Kinpira leapt toward Kai, who jumped easily out of the way.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Kinpira managed to grab Kai's shirt. "YOU LIAR!" He punched Kai hard, sending the lighter boy flying. "That piano can't make a sound!"

Kai landed on his back and skidded. His head hit the wall. "Oww…" he said, but sat right back up. "I'm not a liar! I didn't want to say it, but…that piano is mine! So I know!" His nose was bleeding.

"YOUR PIANO?!" Kinpira screamed. He jumped on top of Kai. "Stop lying!"

Kinpira's friends cheered as they watched him pound Kai. Amamiya just stood there holding the broom and feeling uncomfortable and scared. He had never seen or heard anything so vulgar or crude at his old school. _This is dangerous! _He thought. _Ichinose-kun is…he's in danger! Because of me!_

"Hey…Kai…" Kinpira had pinned Kai to the floor and was sitting on him. He pressed Kai's arms to the floor with his feet. "You're so poor. How can _you_ possibly afford a piano?" Kai didn't answer. He just scowled at Kinpira. "Ahh!" Kinpira said in false happiness. "I got it! Your mother's a whore! Must've been her boyfriend that bought it for you, right!?" His gang burst into laughter. "How many times did she have to sell herself to afford that piano? Hey! Hey! C'mon, tell us, Kai!"

Kai spat in Kinpira's face. "It was abandoned," he said. "So I took it."

"What!?" Kinpira wiped the spit off with the back of his hand.

"I'll tell you something, Kinpira!" said Kai. "I have a lot of things money can't buy! For instance…" he said, as Kinpira looked confused, "a big penis!" Kai's friends in the corner facepalmed in exasperation.

"You…you son of a whore! You don't have the right to say such things to me!"

"Shut your mouth, Kinpira! It stinks!" Kai shouted back. "I can smell your brain rotting through your mouth!"

"It stinks! It stinks!" "Damn it!" The words rang through the hallways and staircases.

"That must be Kai and Kinpira!" A girl said in the stairwell. She and her friends ran toward the music room, where Kinpira was pounding Kai into the floor. "Hey!" One of then shouted. "Stop! Stop it, you two!" They didn't stop. "Stop it! Or I'm calling the teacher! It's not your turn to clean the music room! You shouldn't even be here, Kinpira! I'm calling teacher!" Kai threw a punch and straight at Kinpira's mouth.

Another of the girls noticed Amamiya still watching in shock, and patted him on the back comfortingly. "Are you shocked, Amamiya-kun?" she said with a look of resignation. "Don't worry. This happens all the time."

"All the time…?" The other boys were still shouting and cheering Kinpira on. _They fight like this…all the time? I thought they were killing each other. _

"But it's okay!" the girl said. "Because Ajino-sensei is on his way!"

"Ajino?"

"He's a very mean teacher!" The girl said, making a face. "He hates children!"

"Why does he hate children?" Amamiya asked.

"I don't know…" she said, shaking her head. "Maybe it's because of idiots like them." Kinpira had Kai in a headlock.

Shhhta, shhhta. Under the noise of the fight, the sound of slippers came from the hallway.

"Ah!" the girl said, turning to look. A scowling man stood in the doorway.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" he said. "If you're done cleaning the room, go home!"

"Ah, it's Ajino!" With yells of "Run away!" the boys scrambled for the door. The room cleared in moments. Even the girls had gone.

The man sighed. The room was quiet again. He turned to see Amamiya standing behind him, holding the broom. "Why are you still here?" he asked.

Amamiya couldn't talk. _W…what am I doing…I want to go, but my feet are shaking. _He had never experienced such an uncivilized day of school in his life.

"If there's nothing else," said the teacher. "Go home."

"Uh…well…Is the rumor about the piano in the forest true?" Amamiya asked. _Ugh, why did I have to ask such a childish question?_ The teacher looked even angrier, looking down at him. "The rumor says that the broken piano which no one can play will mysteriously play by itself at night…uh, and, this is my first visit to this school so…"

Ajino waited a while before answering. "The story about the piano in the forest is a lie," he said at last. "It is just an urban legend thought up by children for fun. A broken piano does not make a sound." He looked at Amamiya. "You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

Amamiya turned red. _He must think I'm a stupid kid who believes everything he hears! _he thought. The only thing he could do was to bow and leave.

Ajino turned back to the classroom. One of the boys had left a shoe on the floor. He bent down to pick it up. On the bottom of the shoe, a name was written: Ichinose Kai. Before he could straighten up again, something else caught his eye. A boy was hiding under the piano where the cloth cover had slipped and hung almost to the floor. He had one bare foot, and he was crying.

Ajino sighed. He sat down on the piano stool, legs crossed, and began to play. Beneath the piano, Kai looked up. His legs were scraped and his shirt had one big rip in the shoulder, but the music washed all that away.

_Ah…this song is…Little Brown Bottle. _He let the music envelop him. The tears slowly went away. A wrong note made him open his eyes.

_I made a mistake. My finger slipped. _Ajino thought. _Ah…again. Making mistakes playing such an easy song…what a shame. _

Amamiya heard the piano as he walked down the hallway. It made him stop and turn around to listen. "Is that…is that Ajino-sensei playing?" he said to himself. "What a beautiful song…"

When Ajino finished playing the piece, he spoke as if to the piano. "If you've calmed down a bit, go home. Ichinose." Kai didn't move. He hadn't realized that Ajino knew he was there. "Or," Ajino continued, "Do I have to play you another song?"

Kai came out and stood before Ajino-sensei. "No need." He said, looking straight at Ajino. "I don't want to listen to such poor playing." Ajino sighed. "You…messed up in a few places, right?" Kai continued.

"What?" Ajino said, surprised.

"Just now, you made a mistake. In the second repeat of "wa-ha-ha"…on the last "ha"…"

_Ah…although it's probably just a lucky guess, _Ajino thought.

"And then your left hand was behind the rhythm twice!" Kai said relentlessly.

_What!?_ "Hey wait!" Ajino stood up as Kai turned to leave. "I'm positive…you've only heard this song…just a few times in music class in fourth grade…"

"I only need to hear the songs once to learn it," Kai said. "Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm a kid! Also," he continued, "even though it's broken, the "piano in the forest" makes a sound! Because that's _my_ piano!"

Ajino was stunned. Kai looked at him scornfully, and turned away.

"Don't act as it you know everything!" Kai said. "You're not always right!"

"Ichinose!" Ajino called. "Wait, listen to me…"

"No!" Kai returned. He put his thumb on his nose and waved his fingers at Ajino. "Sensei, you don't like children, and I don't like grown-ups! Idiot!" Kai left the room.

"Ichinose!" Ajino got up to follow, but when he looked out the door, Kai was already running down the hall. "Ichinose!" Ajino stood in the doorway. He watched the mysterious boy disappear around the corner.

* * *

**My goal is to introduce the manga to a wider audience as well as to practice my own writing. If you enjoy this fanfic, please go and read the manga! It really needs to just be experienced. **

**Thank you :)**


	2. Piano in the Forest Pt2

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 2 – Piano in the Forest 2

Ajino stood in the music room, staring at the piano. _What just happened? _He thought. _I only need to hear the songs once to learn it. That's what he had said. I remember playing the song for his class. It's impossible…are you saying that you can remember a song that you heard more than a year ago so clearly…that you can tell the minute differences in the notes?! That piece is not carried in any textbooks. It is the one and only song I arranged…and there has to be at least ten thousand notes, and he memorized them all! That's impossible…it's just impossible. _

In his memory, he heard the voice of Ichinose Kai say something else: "Even though it's broken, the "piano in the forest"… makes a sound!" Ajino shook his head. _That's even more absurd! _He had seen the piano in the forest too. When he tried to play it, it had only made the _kata kata _sound of the keys hitting the wood. _That piano, _he thought, _already lost its sound three years ago!_

"Because that's _my_ piano!" Kai had said. _Why would he say that? It doesn't make any sense at all. _Ajino looked out of the music room window. There he was, three stories below, laughing and talking to some other boys from his class. Ichinose Kai! Ajino stared at the boy. _What kind of …person are you?_

"Ahahahaha…" Kai was laughing.

"No, seriously!" one of the boys said. "Kinpira is really pissed. Because of you, he couldn't make that new kid do the 'test of courage!'"

Kai shrugged. "So? He's just gonna make him do it tomorrow anyway, right?"

"Of course!" the boys said. "Since it's already been decided!"

"Seriously," Kai said, "he thinks all the new kids are easy targets."

His friend looked at him, exasperated. "You shouldn't be talking like that. Aren't you scared about what he'll do to you, Kai?" he said. "Kinpira said he's gonna teach you a lesson and beat you up sometime soon!"

"Are you serious?" Kai asked, incredulous.

Meanwhile, in the large two-story house that was the Amamiya residence, Shuhei's grandmother was sitting up in her bed. Shuhei sat on a stool next to the bed. He, his mother, and grandmother were having tea and cake together.

"That's wonderful!" the old woman said, clasping her hands together at the good news. "You've made so many new friends in your first day at school! That's really great!"

Shuhei didn't know what to say. His grandmother was almost crying in happiness. He didn't want to spoil anything.

"That's right, mother!" his mother cut in. "You don't have to worry about Shuhei-san!" She looked at him. "Shuhei-san, your grandma was worrying all day that you'd be bullied in school." Shuhei sat there uncomfortably.

"But it's because of my illness that he had to transfer here, even if it's just for a short while," his grandmother said. "Schools outside of the city usually have lower standards , too…"

"Mother, the most important thing is that Shuhei-san has the right attitude when it comes to learning! So there's nothing to worry about!"

_Grandma, _Shuhei thought, _I…was bullied today in school. All the kids here have no manners and are stupid…they were even calling me a wuss for playing the piano…_He sat down at the upright piano in his grandma's room and began to play.

"And the best part of it all," his mother continued as he played, "Shuhei-san has a definite goal in life which is to become a great pianist like his father!"

"When will he be back from his recital tour?"

"Next month or so," his mother replied. "By the way, Mother. The little forest beside the school is called "The Piano Forest. That's really romantic!"

"It's that so…" his grandmother said. "How wonderful."

_I don't want to go to that school! _Amamiya thought that night as he lay awake in bed. _If I go tomorrow, I will be bullied by Kanehira-kun again. He will bully me and ask "give me proof of your manhood!" If I don't go to the forest and play that haunted piano, I will have to show everyone my penis. Kanehira-kun will never let me hear the end of it. _

The next day at school, Amamiya stood before the looming steps of the school. If there was anything he could do to get out of school for a day…

"Hey!" A voice behind him startled him into turning around. "What are you doing?"

"Ah! Ichinose Kai-kun."

"Just call me Kai."

"Um…" Amamiya bowed. "Thank you for yesterday."

"For what?" Kai asked.

"Yesterday, while we were cleaning the music room, you helped me when Kanehira-kun was bullying me." Amamiya explained. "Thanks again for helping me."

"Oh…that?" Kai said, looking at the sky in exasperation.

"I wanted to thank you yesterday but Ajino-sensei just told me to leave so I couldn't…" Amamiya said.

"You don't have to thank me," Kai said, embarrassed. "I didn't fight for your sake. Don't worry about it." Kai headed up the stairs. "Aren't you coming?" he asked, when Amamiya didn't move. We're going to be late!"

Amamiya just looked at the ground. Kai cocked his head. "You're scared of Kinpira?" he asked. Amamiya looked away.

"He's going to tell me to prove my manhood again," he mumbled.

"Of course he will. What did you expect from Kinpira…?" Kai said. "He'll keep at it until you actually do it! I swear!" Amamiya looked more uncomfortable than ever. "If Kinpira wants to see it that bad, why don't you just show him your penis?!" Kai said easily. "It's no big deal."

"But there will be girls there too! No way!" Amamiya said. "You, just because it's not your problem…"

Kai immediately dropped his pants. The girls around them screamed. "Who cares about girls?" he demanded.

"I…" Amamiya was sweating and blushing. "I could never do that."

Kai hitched up his pants again, ignoring glares and calls of "Idiot!" from the girls. "Then…" he said, smiling encouragingly at Amamiya, "wanna go to the forest with me and play the piano?"

"Eh? Together?" Amamiya said. "But, if we go together…he'll probably just say I cheated."

"Heh, silly. If you go alone, he'll ask you to show evidence anyway!" Kai said.

"But if we go now, it means we're skipping class?" Amamiya said.

"Well, if you just stand here, you're still cutting class, aren't you?" Kai reasoned.

"Amamiya-kun!" the teacher called. The class was silent. "Amamiya Shuhei-kun…?" Everyone looked at Amamiya's clearly empty desk. "Hmm…is he absent?" the teacher said to herself as she marked the attendance.

_He must have ran away_. Kinpira thought smugly to himself.

"Ichinose-kun, Ichinose Kai-kun!" the teacher called next.

"Sensei!" One of the boys called. "Kai hasn't come yet either."

_That punk…_thought Kinpira. _He probably ran away too. _

Kai ran on between the trees. "Faster! Amamiya!" he called. "You'll get lost if you don't keep up with me!" He looked back and saw that Amamiya had stopped. "Hey…hey, what are you doing?"

"Wait a minute…" Amamiya called.

"Eh?" Kai trotted back to where Amamiya had stopped.

Amamiya pulled thin black gloves over his hands. "I have to put on these gloves to protect my hands," he explained. "I'll be in big trouble if I hurt my hands."

"Oh," Kai said, looking at his own hands.

"Okay, done!" Amamiya said. They continued deeper into the forest. "So is it true that they found a dead body in this forest?" he asked.

"No, they're all lies! I started those rumors," Kai said.

"Eh? Why did you do that for?"

"Well, I told people it was a cat, but in no time, the "cat" became a "person."" Kai said.

"Oh…Can we really get to where the piano is?" Amamiya asked. "I hear they call this the "Maze Forest"…"

"Don't worry about it!" Kai said happily. "I come here every day. I can even find it with my eyes closed. We're already here!"

"Eh?"

"Look! The piano must be in a good mood today!"

"Woah!" Amamiya's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Kai smiled at his friend's reaction. "Woooow!"

Through the trees, in a clearing, a beam of sunlight shone down through the leaves, directly onto a beautiful black grand piano. Vines had grown at its feet, twining up onto the legs of the piano and the chair before it. With trees all around and the piano gleaming in the light, it could've been a scene in fairyland.


	3. Piano in the Forest Pt3

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 3 – Piano in the Forest 3

"Uh…oh…so it's…it's…true…" Amamiya stuttered in astonishment. "This is the piano in the forest!" Kai just smiled and shielded his eyes from the light coming through the canopy.

"I can't believe there's a piano here!" Amamiya said, walking into the clearing. "It's like a stage! It's awesome! This is the first time I've seen such a beautiful piano."

"It's even more beautiful at night," Kai said. He scratched his nose.

"Kai-kun! Let me play this." Amamiya lifted the lid over the keys. He sat down on the chair and pulled off his gloves. "Watch me and be my witness!"

"Okay!" Kai nodded.

Amamiya brought his hands together in front of his face, palm to palm, finger to finger in preparation. He lifted his right hand, and brought it down on the keys to play the first note.

Kata.

Both boys looked at it in surprise. He pressed more keys. Kata kata. Kata kata. Kata kata.

"I guess it's broken," Amamiya said, turning to look at Kai. "There's no sound."

"No way!" Kai said, shocked. "It definitely makes sound!"

"Yeah, but look..." Amamiya played a few more notes. The piano went kata kata.

"Harder! Play harder!" Kai urged him. "Don't just push, try playing."

Amamiya played harder and harder, but still the piano made no sound. "I can't do this anymore," he said, giving up.

"Let me try!" Kai said, almost panicked. "Not once did it ever not…" he sat down in the chair "make a sound…" He bought his fingers down on the keys. Ponnnn. A clear note rang out into the trees.

"Ah…"

Kai played some other keys. Pon. Pon. Pon. Pon. He turned to look at Amamiya. "See?" he said.

"But…But how?!" Amamiya was amazed. "Why is there sound!? Why does it make a sound when you play it?" He gestured wildly. He grabbed Kai's shirt and shook him.

'Ummmmm…" Kai didn't have an answer.

"You're amazing, Kai-kun!" Amamiya said, in awe.

"That's why I said the piano is mine!" Kai said. Amamiya looked confused. Kai pointed at the piano and looked slyly at Amamiya. "I bet this guy here…only opens up to me. Hehe."

"What's with you?" Kai asked, seeing that Amamiya looked upset. "Okay, I really have no idea either!"

Amamiya dropped his backpack by the tree. "One more time! Please one more time! Let me play it once more!"

"Okay…" Kai got up.

"I'll play it more strongly!" Amamiya said. He hit a chord hard with his fingers. Biiin. The piano sounded a dull, metallic note. Biin. Biiin. "I got sound…" Amamiya said. "I got sound but…"

_I've always wondered,_ Kai thought as he flipped back the hinged lid of the piano, exposing the strings, _why everyone who has tested their courage all said "the piano in the forest is broken so it doesn't make a sound." _He lifted the lid up and propped it up to its full height. _Why? _The quality of the sound didn't change. The piano still went biin biiin biin. He stood there watching Amamiya. _It's really impossible to comprehend. _

"Uwaah…" Amamiya said, looking at his hands. "I can't do this anymore. Anymore and I'm gonna end up breaking my fingers." Amamiya shook his head. "Normal piano-playing techniques can't produce a sound on this, and if I play, the sound comes out all weird... Please, Kai-kun! Play the piano for me once more!"

"OK!" Kai said, nodding. He tossed his backpack aside.

"Alright, you have to teach me!" Amamiya said excitedly. "What kind of trick is there to this piano?"

"There are no tricks," Kai said. He kicked off his shoes with the piano bench and placed his foot on the pedal. Everything became quiet as Kai got ready to play. He closed his eyes in concentration.

From the first note, it seemed to Amamiya that the world was sliding past. The music was filled his blood and made it buzz. His heart pounded in his chest. The sound from the piano was bell-like and clear. The notes floated through the morning air out of the forest into the red light district nearby. Inside an upper-story bedroom with a small balcony, a beautiful young woman heard the sound of the piano.

"Ah…" she said.

"What's wrong?" said the man lying naked on the bed next to her. He mussed her hair playfully.

"Hmmm, nothing," she said. "Perhaps I'm too anxious." _Right now…I thought I heard Kai playing the piano…_ she thought. She got on top of him and straddled him. Her legs were bare.

"Rei-chan…" the man said. "Rei-chan, you are truly a remarkable woman!"

"But everyone else," she said, "considers me a whore."

"Yes, becoming a mother at 15…so it's understandable! And if you think about it…" he said from underneath her, as he ran his hands up under her shirt, "from the early morning, you're already in bed with a man doing dirty things like this, so what do you expect?"

Rei smirked at him and made an evil face. "You bastard," she said. "You interrupted my sleep, and you dare say those things to me?"

"Oops…I'm sorry, Rei-chan! Sorry!" He sat up and put his arms around her. "Don't be angry, I was just joking!" She was not really angry.

"Ah," _I hear it again…music from Kai's piano. I hear it._ The music rose up from the trees below the bedroom window.

"Aaaah…this, this melody…" said Amamiya. _The melody that was being played…in the music room as I was going home…this is the melody Ajino-sensei was playing! _He stood behind Kai played, oblivious to his audience, and watched as the music flowed out from Kai's fingertips. _How come Kai can play it!? But…he said…"I've never played the piano before," didn't he? Kai…Kai-kun…you are…_

Kai's fingers flew across the keys in a cadenza, making the forest ring with the pons of the piano. He swept his hand across the keys into the last chord. Pan! And the performance was over.


	4. Witness

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 4 – Witness

Kai finished the piece with eyes closed, a small smile, and his arms raised above his head.

"Ah. That's…that's awesome, Kai-kun!" Amamiya exclaimed, clapping furiously, startling Kai.

"Umm…" Kai brought his hands down.

"I can't even begin to explain it," Amamiya said. "It's just awesome! You're so awesome! Unbelievable!"

Kai's face turned red in embarrassment. "Don't be stupid, Amamiya. You're overreacting," he said, standing up and putting his shoes back on.

"I'm serious!" Amamiya said. "It's amazing that it even made a sound, but your playing was incredible…!"

"Sheesh…this is embarrassing…" Kai said, collapsing the cover prop and lowering the lid of the piano again. "I've never played in front of anyone before."

"What is there to be embarrassed about? Anyone would be amazed with your playing!" Amamiya exclaimed.

Kai picked up his backpack to leave.

"Wait a second, Kai-kun!" Amamiya said. "Play it again! Just one more time!"

"Shut up!" Kai said, walking off, leaving Amamiya behind. "We came here so that you could play, didn't way? But you said it didn't make a sound, so I…" He stopped and looked back at Amamiya, who looked upset and discouraged. "Amamiya!" he called. "There probably is some kind of trick to that piano!"

Amamiya looked up.

"That's the only explanation," said Kai. "It doesn't make sense for there to be a piano…that only I can play, right? There has to be some time of trick to it! I'm gonna figure it out. And when I do, You'll be able to play it whenever you want, too!"

Amamiya didn't say anything.

"C'mon, let's go! We've gotta prove to Kinpira that you passed the test!"

"Kai-kun!" Amamiya called. "Thank you! To tell you the truth, I dreaded transferring here until now."

"Then it's okay now?" Kai said, looking back at him.

Amamiya smiled and nodded. "Kai-kun, that melody you just played…it's the same one that Ajino-sensei played in the music room, right?"

"Yup! Ajino arranged that one!" Kai said happily. "It's called "Little Brown Bottle.""

"Ah, I see," Amamiya said.

"Ajino played it for us a few times in fourth grade!" Kai said. "And that's how I know how to play it!"

Amamiya thought about this for a second. "Then you're saying, you can play anything you hear at least once?"

"Of course!" said Kai. "Then how can I play something I've never heard before?"

The way Kai said this made Amamiya think. Kai didn't seem to know that this skill was anything out of the ordinary.

The next day at school:

"You're saying you went and played the piano in the forest?" said Kinpira.

"Yep." Kinpira looked skeptical. "Even though it didn't make any sound," Amamiya said.

Kinpira brought his face close to Amamiya's. "Where's your proof?"

Amamiya looked at Kai. "I'm the witness!" Kai said. "I saw Amamiya play the piano with my own eyes." They both looked back at Kinpira.

"Poot," Kinpira said, smirking. "That doesn't count! Kai doesn't count as a witness!"

"What?"

"The son of a whore doesn't count as a human being…so he definitely doesn't count as a witness!" Kinpira said, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.

"What an excuse!" his friend added.

"What…?" Amamiya looked worried, but Kai just sighed exasperatedly.

"Sheesh," one of the other boys said of Kinpira. "So boring- he always sticks to the same pattern."

"So for that reason! Amamiya-kun!" Kinpira said, punching Amamiya lightly, "you're gonna have to go into the forest again! Or, of course, you can show us your penis… Either way, you'll have you prove your manhood!"

Amamiya stared at the ground. Kinpira tapped him on the head with his knuckles. "Don't you wanna be our friend?" he said.

_Damn it. _Amamiya thought. _What a jerk! Kai-kun even came with me to the forest and it was all for nothing…?And he's even calling him a son of a whore…?_

Kai stood behind Amamiya, tugging on one ear and saying nothing.

"Only humans can be witnesses, but since Kai is the son of a whore, he's not a human being." Kinpira said again. His voice rang through the halls.

Amamiya scrunched up his face. He wished it would just all go away. Behind him, Kai now had fingers in both years, trying to block out the sound of Kinpira's voice.

Suddenly, one of the girls on the side shoved Kinpira back. "You're the one that's not a human being, Kinpira!" she said. "Hurry up and apologize to Kai!"

A lot of the kids watching must've agreed with her, because one of them shouted "Yeah, you're going too far, Kinpira!" Kai just stood there, still holding on to his ears and staring at the floor.

"What did I do wrong?!" Kinpira shouted. "I didn't do anything except to tell the truth! Even my mother hates them! She says whores are human trash."

The crowd of girls looked angry, but no one said anything to oppose this. Encouraged, Kinpira continued: "so the son of a human trash…"

_What…could he say to make this worse…_Amamiya thought, horrified.

"…is even filthier than trash…"

"Kai!" One of the other boys said urgently. "Don't bother with him! He's just trying to get you to fight him."

"Kai-kun," Amamiya said, hoping that he could say something, anything, to make the situation better.

"Trash." Kinpira said again.

Kai looked up, furious. He couldn't hold it in anymore. "Kai-kun!" Amamiya cried as Kai leapt for Kinpira.

Their homeroom teacher heard the noise from the staff lounge. The next moment she was surrounded by shouting children dragging and pushing her out of the room.

"So Kanehira kept on saying whore this, and whore that…"

"Oh brother, not again!" She ran out of the room, followed by the children.

"Wow...children are so straight-forward these days, it's cruel…" one of the other teachers commented. He stubbed out a cigarette.

"It's disturbing," a female teacher said worriedly, "to think that children nowadays can easily say out loud the word "whore.""

"They're just repeating what they hear adults say," said the first teacher.

"But it really is a source of trouble," another teacher said.

"When there's a student like Ichinose who's been living in the "edge of the forest" since birth..." said another. Ajino stopped on his way out of the staff room to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Ah, you mean the red light district. They've really got to get rid of such places…because they provide the absolute worst environment. Even here at school, we warn the children not to go near that place…"

_So Ichinose lives in the "edge of the forest," _thought Ajino as he left the room.

That night, Amamiya sat in the study of the Amamiya residence looking up the word "whore" in the dictionary. Everything he had heard that day kept running through his mind.

_The first friend I made after I transferred…is Ichinose Kai-kun. He's actually the son of a whore…I think. And because of that, he gets into fights all the time._

He snapped the dictionary shut.

He listened intently to his own piano playing that evening. He couldn't help remembering the sound of Kai's performance in the forest. _The sound of Kai-kun's piano playing…_ he thought, _what could that be? My heart was pounding. What was that nervous excitement I felt?_

The next day, Kai-kun did not come to school.

"Ichinose-kun! Ichinose-kun!" the teacher called.

"Sensei…" one of Kai's friends raised his hand. "Kai hasn't come yet!"

Amamiya looked back at Kai's decidedly vacant desk. Instead, he saw Kinpira leering at him.

Later, in the boys' bathroom, a crowd of boys gathered.

"What's going on? What's going on?"

"What are they doing?"

"Don't push."

"Hey, move your hands!" Kinpira ordered. "Otherwise, I'm gonna make you do it in front of the girls!"

Amamiya dropped his hands to his sides. His shorts and underwear were piled up around his ankles. Everyone could see.

"Okay!" Kinpira gave him a thumbs-up from where he was squatting in front of Amamiya. All the other boys were laughing. "Then… from today, you're one of us!"

Amamiya was red and shaking. He was trying hard not to cry.

"Sheesh. That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Kinpira said. "You should've just done this from the start…"

Amamiya ran out of the school, leaving the rest of the school day behind. He ran into the forest as fast as he could, sobbing. Deep in the forest where no one could see, he pounded his fists against the tree, bawling. A familiar sound flowed shimmering in the leaves. It made him pull his head away from the tree, tears still streaming.

_Ah. I can hear the piano of Kai-kun. _He leaned his back against the tree to listen. The music calmed him. He felt the disquiet in his blood draining away. _How can he make such a sweet sound?_ he thought. He sat down against the tree. _Kai-kun, you really… may not be a human being._


	5. The Hand of a Beast

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 5 – The Hand of a Beast, the Hand of a Pianist

The one playing the broken piano in the forest wasn't some ghost. It was a mysterious boy named Kai. When I watched him play, I thought I was seeing an angel.

"Kai! Kai-kun!" I called.

Kai turned to look at me, and turned into...

"Ah, that voice. It's AMAMIYA."

…a demon.

"AAAAAAH! Ah." He woke himself up with his screaming. _It was a dream…_ Amamiya wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. _That's right,_ he thought. _I was listening to Kai-kun play the piano, 'til I dozed off. _He sighed. _But still…that was a horrible nightmare…_

Then he realized that something had changed. _I can't hear the piano anymore. Is Kai-kun still there? _He could see the piano through the trees, and walked toward it. There was no one there. _Guess not…_ he thought. He walked into the clearing anyway.

_This piano, now that I look at it carefully, it's all worn down. It looked so beautiful too. _He carefully raised the lid. _I guess even though the trees in the forest protect it, it's left here out in the open, so it's only natural. _He pressed on the keys softly. Kata. Kata. _Only Kai-kun can coax a sound from this piano, _he thought. _"There's probably a trick to it." That's what Kai-kun said. And maybe, the trick isn't in the piano…_ The piano refused to make any sound for Amamiya. _Maybe it's in you, Kai-kun?_

"Yo! Delinquent cutting school!"

"Wah!" Amamiya looked up. "Oh, K…Kai-kun!" Kai was perched up in the branches of the big tree next to the piano.

"Ahahaha," Kai laughed at Amamiya's reaction. "Amamiya, you came here just to play the piano?"

Amamiya didn't want to tell Kai why he'd really come. "No…" he mumbled. "Not really. It doesn't even make a sound…"

"Well, then," Kai said, "did you want to come over to my house?" He gestured upwards.

Amamiya found himself climbing a tree for the first time in his life. Suddenly, there was a giant bug in his face.

"Uwaaaah!" he yelled as it flew right at him, clinging to the branch for dear life.

"Hahahaha. If you're that afraid of a measly praying mantis," Kai said from above him, "you'll probably pass out if you see a snake."

"If I see a snake," Amamiya said, "I'm gonna fall!"

"Silly! You'll die if you fall!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Kai ordered. "I fell from here and died, once," he said ominously.

"Eh?" Amamiya only looked more frightened.

"So stop making excuses and climb up!"

"Kai-kun!" Amamiya called, slightly hysterical. "You're just kidding, right?! How could you have died before!" Still, he pulled himself higher and higher up the tree, toward the balconied apartment.

Beyond the glass sliding doors, a young woman heard the voices outside.

"Ok, almost there!" Kai called. "Hurry up, and don't lose your hold."

The door slid open. "Kai! You skipped school again, didn't you!" the woman said, startling a yelp from Kai. Then she looked down and saw the second boy.

"Ah, Rei-chan!" Kai said, turning around. "Let me introduce you! This here is Amamiya!" Amamiya had turned bright red. "He's the transfer student!"

"I…I'm Amamiya Shuhei," stuttered Amamiya.

"And this female here," Kai continued, pointing to the woman, "is my mom!"

"Don't call me a female," the woman said to Kai, rapping him on the head with a knuckle.

_Eh? Your mom…? _Memories of "Whore, whore, son of a whore! Kai is a son of a whore so he's not a human being!" rang through his ears. _Ah…_

He looked up and Kai's mother had extended her hand to shake his gloved one. She was beautiful.

"I'm Reiko!" she said. "Ichinose Reiko!"

_Ah…_

"Please to meet you, Shu-chan!" Reiko said. Amamiya thought he saw white, feathered wings fanning out from her shoulders.

_An… an angel._

Then he passed out.

"Ah!" Reiko yelped.

"Amamiya!" Kai grabbed one and thankfully, Reiko still had the other. Together, they pulled him onto the balcony.

"It's true," Reiko said as she tended to Amamiya's scrapes. They were inside the apartment, and Amamiya looked only a little the worse for wear. "When Kai was 3, he fell out from that window! I was so worried that Kai had died, but when I found him…do you know what he was doing?"

Amamiya shook his head.

"He was playing atop of the piano as if nothing had happened," Reiko said.

"Hahaha…the piano in the forest saved me," Kai said.

"From that time on, the piano has been Kai's toy!" Amamiya looked at Reiko in wonderment. "Every day," Reiko continued, shaking her finger at Amamiya, "not just every day, but every day and night, every moment, whenever he's free. Sometimes he'd even sleep on the piano!" She sighed in a resigned way, drawing a glare from Kai.

Amamiya imagined a toddler Kai, barely as tall as the piano, reaching up and pressing the keys. _Ah. If that's the case,_ he thought in despair,_ I have no chance in beating him! I merely followed their instructions to learn the piano…but honestly, I really…don't quite like playing the piano. _He imagined Kai sleeping sprawled out on the piano. _Compared to someone who really, really loves the piano…I can never win!_

"Kai!" Reiko said. "You really have to be grateful to that cabaret owner who trashed such an expensive piano!"

"Ah, who cares about some stupid store that went out of business!" Kai said, making a face.

_So…_ Amamiya thought, _It used to be a cabaret piano. _"But I'm relieved. Kai-kun isn't a ghost…"

Both Reiko and Kai stared at him.

"Look what you did, Kai," Reiko said, patting Amamiya on the head and glaring at Kai. "It's because you told him you died once."

Kai waved off the glare. "I just said that because it looked like he had to risk his life to make it up to the top!"

"Yes," Amamiya said, "that was the first time I've climbed a tree."

"You really are a city boy!" Reiko said, chuckling.

"No, Rei-chan, it's not that!" Kai said. "Amamiya is planning on becoming a pianist!" Reiko looked at him. "That's why he needs to protect his hands! They mustn't be injured at all."

"That's great!" Reiko said excitedly. "You're training to be a pro pianist? And I was wondering why you'd be wearing gloves when it isn't winter."

"That's just a habit…I don't really know if I'll be a pianist…" Amamiya said, looking down.

"No. You can do it, Amamiya!" Reiko took one of Amamiya's hands. "You've endured all kinds of hardships, so you must become a professional! You really have beautiful hands." Amamiya blushed. "My Kai climbs trees all day," she said. "So his hand is like a beast's hand! They're just like his feet!"

Kai scrutinized his hands and a bare foot intently. _Is that so?_

"I'm so relieved," Reiko said, "that you only got scratches on your knee… Really…you didn't hurt your precious hands." She smiled at Amamiya.

_Ah. _Amamiya couldn't help blushing furiously.

"Rei-chan!" called a voice from outside. An older woman came into the adjacent room. "I know it's a bit early, but you've gotta work!" she called through the doorway. She paused at seeing the two children sitting in the room.

Amamiya stared as Reiko went to talk to the woman.

"Amamiya!" Kai said, picking up his backpack. "I'll send you off!"

They left the apartment via the stairs and came out into the street. There were people squatting together and smoking and talking. They stared at the two boys as they walked by.

_What could it be? _Amamiya thought. _What kind of work could Reiko-san be doing…? Could it really be something that Kai-kun could be bullied over? Right, Kai-kun ought to know…_

"Kai-kun!" he called.

"What?" Kai said.

_Ah! It's not really appropriate to ask a kid like Kai-kun! _

"Hmm?" Kai asked.

"K—Kai-kun! Ya like to play the piano at my place?" Amamiya stammered. He face turned red again.

"Huh? Your piano?" Kai said.

_What am I saying? _he thought. _Kai-kun can play the piano whenever he wants…_

"Oh – That's right! You must have a piano at your house too!" Kai exclaimed.

Amamiya nodded franticly. "We even have a grand piano in the lesson room!"

"WOW! YOU EVEN HAVE A LESSON ROOM?!" Kai grabbed Amamiya's shirtfront in excitement.

In the lesson room:

"This kicks butt! Amamiya, your piano is awesome!" Kai shouted over the noise of the piano. "Holy crap! Your piano doesn't even compare to that crappy piano in the forest!"

Amamiya had covered both his ears with his hands. The noise was unbearable.

"K…Kai-kun, don't play it so hard! Play it like usual!" he yelled.

"What?" Kai yelled. "But I am playing it like usual! Look! No different from how I normally play!"

_Liar…! _Thought Amamiya, gritting his teeth.

"Wow, this piano really kicks butt!" Kai exclaimed again.

_What…What's going on?! _Amamiya thought, pressing his hands to his ears as hard as he can. _Kai-kun is horrible when he plays a normal piano?!_


	6. Exciting

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 6 – Exciting

"Yeeeaaahhhh!" Kai shouted

Each note sounded like a small explosion. Amamiya was squiting against the sheer force of the sound.

"This is awesome, Amamiya!" Kai yelled. Sparks practically flew from his fingers "The keys are so light that my fingers feel like they're flying! I've never played a piano like this before in my life! I feel like I'm under a spell! Is there some kind of trick to this, Amamiya?! What's going on?"

"That's what I was going to say! This is just a normal piano!" Amamiya yelled back. _Really, what in the world is going on?! Kai-kun can easily play a piano that no one else can play, but he's horrible playing a piano anyone can play!_

"Kai-kun, Kai-kun, that's enough," Amamiya said frantically. He grabbed Kai's wrist to stop him. "Stop playing like you usually do and try playing a little softer!"

"Eh? But this is the only way I know how to play!" Kai said.

"Then try playing a proper melody or something! Don't just bash the keys…"

"Ahaha…What are you talking about, Amamiya?" Kai said, starting to play again. "I've been playing a melody this whole time! I was so excited that I just came up with it!"

"Eh?! You just made up a song right now?" Amamiya cried.

Kai laughed. "It's just an arrangement! I'm just imitating Ajino!" Kai said happily. "This is so exciting!"

"I'm not excited at all!" Amamiya shouted over the piano. "The sound is so loud that I can't even tell if it's a song or just loud noise!"

The sound of the piano reverberated through the house and into the street. A block away, people out doing their shopping stopped walking and looked toward the house.

"Oh? A piano?" one of them said.

"That grandson of Amamiya-san must be playing," another one said, admiringly.

"Ah, that family from Tokyo, right?" the first replied.

A middle-aged stall owner laughed and began to stretch. "This melody makes me want to move my body!"

"Why don't you make the most of this rare opportunity!" his fat wife said from behind the counter. "You need some exercise anyway!"

"Hah! Look who's talking!" he said.

He wasn't the only one. The street filled with people stretching and moving to the music.

Outside the Amamiya residence, a cab door slammed. Shuhei's mother walked through the gate of the property. She could hear the music coming from the house, but it sounded like nothing Shuhei had played before. She opened the door to the house and flinched at the noise coming from inside.

_Eh?! What's going on?! It sounds like a machine gun! Could it be Shuhei-san that's playing this?_ She walked to grandmother's bedroom.

"I'm home, Mother!" she called about the music, still staring in the direction of the lesson room. "Looks like we need to have to soundproof walls taken a look at in the lesson room, right? This is too loud! I'll scold Shuhei-san right away and…" She looked around at the bed. Grandmother's eyes were closed and she hadn't moved.

"Mother…" she said, "Mo…m…MOTHER!" She ran to the bed.

Grandmother opened her eyes. "Oh? You're back?"

Shuhei's mother breathed a sigh of relief. _She scared me. I thought maybe she had passed away…_ She looked over at the bedside table. _No wonder. She took her hearing aid off. _

"Ah, that's right!" Grandmother said. "Shuhei-san brought home a friend."

"Eh? A friend?"

"You can hear the piano, right?" Grandmother said happily. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Eh?" Shuhei's mother said. "It only sounds like noise to me."

"What?" Grandmother said.

Shuhei's mother shouted to be heard over the music. "It sounds like someone's shooting a machine gun to me!"

"Ah…," Grandmother said, patting her face, "wait a minute, dearie. Let me put on my hearing aid." She slipped the device over her ear. Suddenly her eardrums were exploding. She covered both ears with her hands and grimaced. Her daughter mirrored her expression.

"Now isn't that weird?" she said. "But…this is…"Radio Gymnastics" arranged in a jazz style. I wonder how this was arranged…?"

"Amamiya!" Kai shouted, hands flying. "This piano's the best! Wahahahaha this is so exciting!"

"This isn't how you're supposed to play the piano, Kai-kun!" Amamiya yelled.

"Why not?" Kai asked. "The piano is supposed to be exciting."

The people out on the street agreed. "This is so exciting!" the old shop-owner said. They couldn't stop moving and laughing under the influence of Kai's "Radio Gymnastics" in a jazz style.

Ponn. Ponn. Amamiya finally got Kai to calm down and play one note at a time. Kai frowned. His fingers shook.

"That's it!" Amamiya said encouragingly. "That's how you're supposed to play, Kai-kun! Just keep doing that. If you don't focus, it'll start making a hideous sound like before so concentrate!" Pon. Pon. Pon. Pon. Ponnn. "That's good! See? You can do it too if you try!"

"I get it…" Kai said, irritated. "I can stop now, right? This is really tiring… It's no fun at all."

"Just a little more!" Amamiya urged. "Practicing isn't supposed to be fun in the first place!"

Shuhei's mother stood outside the lesson door. The sound was bearable now, like the sound of a piano. "You have to be able to endure through these practices to be able to succeed in anything!" she heard Amamiya say inside. She smiled.

Pon. Pon. Po po pon. Kai was miserable.

"Alright! Now, try playing something like that!" Amamiya said excitedly. "Oh, that's right! Play that! That melody Ajino-sensei arranged!"

_What?! _Shuhei's mother thought when she heard this. _Ajino…sensei? Ajino, Ajino…I've heard that name somewhere…Ajino, Ajino, Ajino…_ She put her head in her hands, trying to think. Suddenly, machine gun sounds came out of the lesson room again, completely interrupting her train of thought. She hurriedly opened the door and went in.

"No, no. You have to concentrate!" Amamiya was saying. "Try doing it from the beginning again…" He looked up. "Oh, Mother." Kai turned around, too.

"Shuhei-san," she said, "A friend of yours?"

"Ichinose-kun," Amamiya said. "Ichinose Kai-kun."

"Hello," Kai said.

She bowed politely. "I am Shuhei's mother." _Oh? He's a boy? _she thought. _I thought he was a girl. _She stared at Kai's bare feet and muddy legs. _I guess he's a bit too dirty be a girl. But I must say…he's very pretty…_

"Oba-san," Kai said.

"Yes?" she said.

"This piano…this key and this key sound weird." He played them. "Right?"

She listened carefully. "Hmm? Doesn't sound weird to me…"

"See?" Amamiya said. "I told you there was nothing weird."

"We tuned it two or three days ago so there shouldn't be anything weird about it…" Shuhei's mother said. "Oh…maybe if you play it really hard it might become weird," she teased.

Amamiya looked slightly embarrassed for his friend. Kai just scratched his head and stuck out his tongue sheepishly.

"Hmm! But when I play it, this, this, and this sound weird," Kai insisted, playing some chords.

"Eh?!" Shuhei's mother sat down and the piano and put her ear to the keys, listening intently. "I really don't think there's anything wrong with it…" she said. "Did you also learn the piano? Ichinose-kun."

Kai shook his head. "I only play for fun," he said. "It's too difficult to learn for real!"

"Don't worry about that, Kai-kun!" Amamiya said. "If you practice and get used to it, it's really easy! And you're talented enough to be able to play just like Ajino-sensei."

"Ah…" _Ajino?! _"Did you just say Ajino…sensei…?" Shuhei's mother asked.

"Yes! He's our music teacher!" Amamiya said. "He's really really scary." Both boys made faces to imitate Ajino.

"His name wouldn't be…Ajino Sousuke…would it…?" she said.

"Yes, that's right!" Kai said. "Although we call him Ajino Soushiki.* It's because he always looks like he's going to a funeral."

Shuhei's mother's jaw dropped. She immediately started rummaging through a bookcase in the corner of the room, and pulled out a large scrapbook.

"Is this him?!" she demanded, flipping it open and showing the boys.

"Ah. Yes, this is him!" Kai said, pointing to the picture of a serious looking young man in a tux and a bowtie. "He's a lot younger, but it's definitely Ajino-sensei."

Mrs. Amamiya looked like she was about to cry.

"Mom, do you know Ajino-sensei?" Amamiya asked. "You even have a scrapbook…"

"Man, what a poser…" commented Kai, still looking at the picture.

"Of course I know him…" Mrs. Amamiya said. "That man was… a pianist every single music major idolized!"

"What?" Amamiya said. "A pianist?"

Kai looked up. He picked up a newspaper article from the scrapbook and looked at it more closely. Above a flashy picture of the younger Ajino it read:

Pianist Ajino: The long-awaited Debut.

Kai stared at it.

Mrs. Amamiya explained: "When Ajino Sousuke was a student, he won every single domestic competition there was. As soon as he graduated from college, he made his flashy debut. His performances were incredible."

Indeed, he filled concert halls to capacity with his fans. Cheers of "bravo!" calls for encores could barely be contained by the building after a performance. Every woman in the audience held a bouquet.

"You could only justify them by calling them miracles."


	7. Ajino Sousuke

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 1

Chapter 7 – Ajino Sousuke

In the photos, young Ajino played with feeling. He stood holding a bouquet for the cameras, triumphant.

_Ah…it's Ajino-sensei, _Kai thought. _So he was a famous pianist so long ago…_

"Kai-kun, did you know about this?" Amamiya asked.

Kai shook his head vigorously. "Eh. I had no idea." He looked back down at the photos. Ajino stared back at him. His eyes seemed to be telling Kai something.

"That was over 20 years ago," Shuhei's mother told them. "You guys weren't even born around then…"

"Oh." Kai thought back to what he had said, standing there confronting Ajino about his playing. _"The verses…you messed up a little. And then, your left hand was also behind the rhythm twice…"Ajino had just looked slightly surprised. _Kai snorted, making Amamiya look at him. "But," he said, "I don't think Ajino plays like a professional pianist. Especially his left hand…it seems kind of weird."

Shuhei's mother sighed. "That's because of a fatal accident during the sixth year into his career," she said. "His left hand was heavily injured…" She flipped the pages of the scrapbook to another article. It showed a picture of a car that had run into a road barrier. It was completely destroyed and smoking. The headline read:

Fatal Injuries to the Left Hand  
Future Solo Concert Performances Are Unlikely

Ajino (27 Years Old) Heavily Injured. Automobile Collision With the Guard Rail.

"As a pianist, all he can do after that is retire. So he moved to this rural elementary school…and became a music teacher…"

Kai and Amamiya stared at the picture of the accident, horrified. Next to it, the paper had printed a picture of Ajino smiling knowingly after a performance, with the caption "Prince of Tragedy." A phrase jumped out at Kai and ran through his mind again and again. Revival unlikely.

As Kai walked home from Amamiya's house, Kai couldn't help paying attention to the traffic around him. He watched the care zoom past. _Automobile accident…_he thought. _"I don't want to listen to such poor playing."_ Ajino hadn't said anything. Kai felt terrible for saying those things to him. _Is it really like that?_ he thought as he walked home, ashamed of himself.

Back at the Amamiya residence:

"You want to ask Ajino-sensei to be my piano instructor!?" Amamiya cried, taken aback.

"Of course it's real, Shuhei!" his mother said excitedly. "I'll go ask about it tomorrow!"

"No…" Amamiya said, "It's okay. He's scary…"

"What are you saying?" his mother said, grabbing his hands. "Your future is to be a pianist! So you'll also need an excellent instructor. Maybe it was fate that arranged us to come to this place…to meet with Ajino Sousuke!"

"Really" Amamiya said. "Aren't we here because of Grandma's illness?" His mother looked at him in concern, making him look at the floor.

"Ah...wow, what a wonderful child!" She exclaimed. "Your grandma must have told you these things! I'll go make an internationall call to your father right now. I'm sure he'll be surprised at the news!" And she hurried out of the room.

"Mother, wait a minute," Amamiya called after his mother, "don't call yet. It probably won't work out! Although he's an elementary school teacher, he doesn't really like kids…so…"

She looked back at him, not in the least concerned at hearing this. "Don't worry!" she told him. "No one dislikes a child with talents! Besides, a person like him knows a good apprentice when he sees one."

"If that was true," Amamiya said, looking at the floor, "then he'll probably…pick Kai-kun instead."

His mother was astonished. "Kai-kun? The child named Ichinose from before? That child is his apprentice?"

"Yea, he probably doesn't want anyone to know," said Amamiya quietly, sitting at the piano and plunking out some notes. He remembered listening to Kai's piano in the forest. "But I know he has always been learning from Ajino-sensei. However, oddly enough, he can never play a normal piano correctly, and always plays out that horrible sound…"

_That child is Ajino Sousuke's apprentice…?_ She remembered Kai pointing out that the notes on the piano "sounded weird." "But…but…" she said, "that child…didn't he say this piano's tune was kind of odd…?"

They called the piano tuner.

Dongggggg, donggggg went the piano as the piano tuner sat there with one hand inside the piano and his tool kit next to him. He turned around. "I can't believe you actually heard it," he said, smiling. "It is indeed out of tune. Just as expected for a family from a long line of pianists."

Amamiya's jaw dropped and he turned to look at his mother, who was speechless.

"I've been in this profession for over twenty years," the tuner continued as he worked, unaware of the expressions on the faces behind him, "and I'm still not confident to say that I'm able to catch the notes perfectly. Really, this really surprises me. You're indeed a star of tomorrow with great potentials…and your ears are definitely beyond average…"

Shuhei's mother went to go see Ajino-sensei at the elementary school the next day. She sat in one of the chairs in the music room as Ajino stared out the window, trying to find another way of answering her request. In the end, he chose to be blunt.

"Unfortunately, I can't help you with this. I'm no longer who I used to be," he said. "So please, take back your request."

She looked stricken.

"Concerning piano playing…I'm just treating it as a game," he said, looking at the piano, "so of course, I'm not really interested in teaching it, let alone taking an apprentice…"

"If…if things really are like what you've said, then of course I would give up," Shuhei's mother insisted. "However, aren't you currently teaching a particular student in private?"

Ajino just looked at her.

In classroom 5-3, Kai pouted and stared at his lunch tray filled with chunks of meat. His jaw chewed but he didn't swallow.

"Ichinose-kun!" the teacher yelled, seeing that he wasn't eating. "I won't let you leave it unfinished again today! I don't care if you like it or not! Even if you have to take up the 5th or even 6th period to eat it, I'll let it happen!"

Kai began to cry, jaw still working.

"Alright, stop crying!" the teacher said. "Why won't you eat the meat!? You…I'm telling you to stop chewing on it endlessly and swallow it already! Swallow!"

Kai's friends watched this scene go on. They held soccer balls

"Forget it," one of them said. "Let's stop waiting for Kai-kun. If we wait any longer, the lunch break would be over."

"It'll probably take him all night to battle his archenemy: "one bite of beef,"" the other said.

"Ah, I wish I could eat it for him," another boy said.

Amamiya watched from the doorway in exasperation and surprise. _Ahh, Kai-kun, _he thought. _You're the apprentice of the wonderful Ajino-sensei…yet you can't even eat meat._

Kai continued to cry and chew.

Ajino looked at the woman sitting before him and sighed. "I don't really understand what you're saying," he said. "I'm really sorry, but I have never taken in any apprentice before."

"But I heard my son say that there is a student…that can perfectly perform a piece you composed," she said.

Ajino's eyebrows came together. He stared at her intently. Shuhei's mother understood why her son had said that Ajino-sensei was scary. Still, she had to continue.

"Yesterday, that child came to my home, and even perfectly pointed out where our piano was out of tune. Even the most experienced piano tuner wasn't able to tell! He's certainly beyond average." She couldn't meet his gaze as she accused him of lying. "Hoever, instead of saying his ears are good, I believe it's actually because there's an excellent instructor that has been training him all along."

Now she looked up at him. "You're the one who's been training him, aren't you, Ajino-sensei!?"

"Wait…" Ajino stopped her. His hand went to his head. "Please wait a minute." _Damn it. My head is beginning to hurt again. _"I…I really don't' understand. What exactly are you talking about…?"

"I'm talking about Ichinose Kai!"

"What?" he said, shocked. _It's…Ichinose!? Ichinose Kai!? _In his mind, he saw Kai sitting at the piano, fingers flying. _Again…it's you again!_

The Kai in his mind turned to look at him, and smiled.


	8. One Bite of Beef

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 8 – One Bite of Beef

Ajino Sousuke stared at the woman trying to face him down. "Ichinose…Kai…" A name he had heard many times in the past few days.

"Yes," she said, "I'm talking about Ichinose Kai!"

Amamiya stared out the window in the hallway outside the classroom out into the school grounds. _Mother is probably talking to Ajino-sensei right about now…_ he thought. _Why…why do I feel so burdened?_ The other children were talking and laughing on their way out to recess. _Oh yeah, Kai-kun,_ Amamiya thought, looking into the classroom behind him. Then he sighed. _Forget it; he's in an even worse position…_

Kai sat in the classroom, staring at a pig. It stared back. "Puu," it said.

"Hey, Kai-kun," Kinpira said threateningly. "Don't you feel bad for her?" He looked down at the pig by his feet. "I think he's been looking for his daddy and mommy…Maybe," he pointed to Kai's lunch tray, "they have already turned into these pieces of meat in your plate. Do you really want to eat these meats? If you eat them, I'm sure he won't forgive you!"

Kai stared at the pig. "Puu…" it said, staring back.

"Hehe, but if you don't eat them, do you think Sensei will forgive you?" Kinpira demanded. "Yep! That's right, Sensei won't forgive you. So what do you plan to do, Kai-kun? Are you going to eat it or not?"

Kai glared at Kinpira. "Puu…" went the pig.

"Make up your mind!" Kinpira shouted, slamming his hands down on Kai's desk. The tray bounced once or twice. The pig ran away.

"Kinpira!" the teacher shouted from behind Kinpira, scaring him. "You! Why are you so mean? He's already feeling horrible, and yet you still say this sort of things to him!?" she said, shaking her fist at him, as he ran out of the classroom, laughing. "Besides, this isn't pork, it's beef! Don't you know that it's not allowed to bring pigs to school? I told you not to bring any pigs to the classroom!"

She sighed and shook her head. Then she looked back at Kai. "Ichinose, just when exactly do you play on eating them?" she asked. "This monthly "one bite of beef" meal, is usually highly anticipated among all your other classmates, you know…"

Kai looked like he was ready to cry again.

"But why does it always seem so painful for you to eat meat, even to the point of crying…"

"Ahhahahahaha." Kinpira ran back in. "I know, I know! Because Kai-kun is the son of a whore! His family is so poor…he has never seen or even smelled the sweet aroma of meat besides the stuff in the school lunch!" he said excitedly.

"Kinpira!" the teacher yelled. "What are you saying!"

"Eh?" Kinpira said, looking scared. He started to whimper as she yelled at him.

"Whoa," one of the other boys commented. "If Kinpira says the word "whore" once again, he'll have to write it out 100 times for punishment! Making fun of people in front of Sensei, what an idiot..."

"He deserves it anyway!" another one said. "Always picking on Kai's weak point like that…"

"However, asking Kinpira not to say the word "whore" is already pretty tough on him..."

"It's his own fault."

"Asking that guy to practice writing is even worse!"

Kai watched Sensei yell at Kinpira as he chewed on his chunks of beef miserably.

"Alright everybody, stop bothering these two," Sensei said. "Hurry up and go play! The lunch break will be over soon!"

Standing in the hallway, Amamiya watched as the crowd of children laughing and shouting ran out of the classroom and down the hall. The pig watched with him.

"So in short, Ichinose he…" Ajino tried to wrap his throbbing brain around this astonishing story. "Ichinose…you're saying he perfectly played the song I composed, right in front of your son? And…was able to easily notice that your piano was out of tune, when even a professional finds it difficult to catch…"

"Yes, that's right!" Shuhei's mother said. "However…I'm really not that surprised. After all, this is possible, if he has an instructor like Ajino Sousuke."

"You're wrong," Ajino said. "I've never privately instructed him before."

She frowned, slightly offended.

_What's going on…? I can't understand this either, _Ajino thought. _Those things aren't simply achievable through simple practices and instructions. _This conversation was not helping his headache.

"Ajino-sensei," she insisted, "I do apologize if you're hiding the fact that you're privately instruction a student, out of personal inconveniences…however, you can be sure that I won't tell anyone about it…"

"Amamiya-san," Ajino said. "I've told you already, I have not been privately instructing Ichinose, nor am I tutoring anyone else for that matter, and I certainly don't plan to do so anytime in the future."

Kinpira sat in the classroom at his desk. His pencil slowly and painfully moved over the paper, tracing out the word "whore."

"Argh," he growled. "Damn it…I want to say it…the more you ask me not to say it, the more I want to say it!"

"It's okay. Say it." Kai sat at his own desk across the classroom, still staring at his lunch. "If you want to say it that bad, then say it."

Kinpira looked at Kai suspiciously.

Kai turned around and pointed his fork at Kinpira. "For every one piece of meat you eat for me, I'll let you say it five times!" Kinpira thought about this. "I'm allowing you to say it," Kai said encouragingly, "you won't get punished."

"Kinpira! There's not one around now, just the two of us!" Kai cajoled. "Pick a choice! You can either let it all out and say it, or you continue to hold it in and suffer. Five times per piece of meat!"

"Eight times per piece," Kinpira said, staring at Kai through narrowed eyes.

"Six times!" Kai said.

Shuhei's mother's heels clacked on the stairs as she left Moriwaki Elementary School. _"I'm still going to tell you the same answer, even if we continue,"_ Ajino had said. _"So please just give up about it." Ahh…_ she thought, _I just can't let it…_

Ajino stood at the window watching her leave. It had been a thought-provoking conversation. _If…all of this is real…_ He remembered the sight of Kai hiding underneath the piano and the accusations Ichinose had thrown at him that day._ "You were playing off key! The second "wahaha" in the lyrics and the last "ha"…" he had said. That was… and he said "and then there were two times where your left hand was playing too slowly..." and that…"you only need to hear it once to remember this kind of music."_

_All of which he said was true…and he really understood it!? It wasn't just some made up claims…it wasn't just a coincidence? Is it possible…that you and I are the same type of people…!?_

_I need to go confirm it!_

"Whore, whore, whore, whore, whore, whore, whore!" As Kinpira chanted, Kai counted off the number of times on his fingers.

"Seven! Alright!" Kai said. "Get ready, Kinpira!"

Kinpira opened his mouth wide. "Uwarh! Come on!"

Kai grabbed his tray in one and a handful of meat in the other. "Catch!" He threw them at Kinpira as hard as he could.

Kinpira ran across the room to catch the chunks of beef in his mouth, and landed on the floor against the row of cubbies.

"That hurts, damn it! Can't you throw better, Kai-kun! Ouch!" Another piece of meat hit him in the face. "It really hurts!" he said, popping the meat into his mouth. "Stop treating me like a punching bag!"

"Hahahaha," laughed Kai, "you do look like one though, Kinpira! Alright! There's still one more piece!"

Amamiya looked into the room to see Kai standing on a desk, tray in hand.

"Wait a minute!" Kinpira shouted. "How many pieces did you just throw!? I thought we agreed to seven times per piece?"

"Idiot!" shouted Kai. "Those were free bonuses! Think about it! If you don't eat faster, you'll be in trouble once Sensei gets here!"

Amamiya watched this scene in slight amazement. Kinpira was chewing on the meat greedily.

"Urr!" Kai pressed both hands to his ears to block out the sound of the chewing. "You really would eat anything, don't you? Kinpira! Are you done yet? I thought you felt bad for the little pig!"

"I…don't care," Kinpira said through the mouthful of food. "This tastes great!"

"Yo, this isn't time for you to enjoy it slowly!" Kai said, grimacing. The chewing sound was grating on his ears.

"Kinpira," Kai said, pointing at the bigger boy. "You have a bad tooth on the very end of your right jaw!"

"Huh?" Kinpira said.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Kai demanded.

"What…what are you talking about," Kinpira said, raising an eyebrow. _How…did he know about that?_

That will only get worse!" Kai said. "You'd better hurry up and have it checked by the dentist, and get it pulled out!" Kinpira stared at him. "It's already beginning to sound rotten."

"You're making this up!" Kinpira shouted, leaping at Kai and pushing him off the desk. "I dare you to say it again!"

"Idiot!" Kai yelled. "Your teeth are in really bad shape! I think it's probably the molar on the top!"

"Kai…Kai-kun…" Amamiya tried to get Kai's attention. The teacher was standing in the doorway, shaking in anger.

"Argh, you guys!" she yelled in frustration. "What exactly are you doing!"

Kids crowded around the door, trying to see the commotion. "What's going on? What's going on?"

"Ah, oh great," said Kinpira. He quickly let go of Kai.

"I told you…" said Kai.

Kids rushed in. One of the girls saw the empty lunch tray. "Ah! Sensei! I think Kinpira…ate all of Kai-kun's leftover lunch!"

"Eh?" said the teacher. Kinpira started sweating.

"Kinpira's face looks like he just finished eating!" the girl said.

"What!"

As people crowded around the empty tray, Kai bolted for the door right past Amamiya.

"Ah!" Another girl saw him. "Sensei! Kai-kun is running away!"

"Hey! Ichinose! Wait a minute!"

Ajino rounded the corner just in time to hear "Wait a minute Ichinose!" A stunned Amamiya was standing by the classroom door watching the entire class and their short, lightly pudgy teacher sprint down the hall after Kai.

Amamiya turned around and saw Ajino standing there.

"Ajino-sensei!" he said nervously. "Sen…sensei! Did my mother stop by to visit you…?"

"You're Amamiya-kun, right?" Ajino said. "I have something I would like to ask you about."


	9. Forest

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 9 – Forest

Ajino looked down at the boy standing in front of him. "Your mother visited me earlier," he said.

"Ah…" Amamiya said, looking frightened. "I..I'm sorry. My mom must've asked you for something unreasonable…"

"No…" Ajino said. "Forgive me, but I declined to give you a personal piano lesson."

"I…I see," Amamiya said, looking down.

"I wanted to ask you about Ichinose," Ajino said.

"Eh?" Amamiya was surprised. "About Kai-kun?" Ajino nodded.

Kai's feet slapped against the floor as he ran for the door.

"Heeey! Stop!" yelled the teacher and she chased after him. "Ichinose-kun! Waaait!"

"Kyahahaha," Kai laughed, looking back at them, "no waaay." He pushed open the double doors of the school and felt the sunlight and breeze on his face. He was free.

The rest of the class gave up just inside the door. The teacher was bent over, huffing and puffing.

"Kuuuu, he ran away again," she said. "Ugh, my side hurts."

"It can't be helped!" one of the kids said. "Kai is the fastest runner in our grade."

One of Kai's friends tossed his backpack down from the second-floor classroom window. Kai snatched it out of the air and saluted his friend, who saluted back. Kai ran down the stairs of the school

"I heard that you listened to Ichinose playing music," Ajino said, "exactly the same way how I arranged…"

"Ah," Amamiya said. "Yes. It was by accident, but Kai-kun played the piano in the forest for me…"

Ajino put on hand on his chin thoughtfully. The news about the piano in the forest astonished, him, but it didn't show on his face.

"I was really surprised, too," said Amamiya, gesticulating, "but…"

"Amamiya-kun," Ajino interrupted. "I'm asking something serious. How could Ichinose play a piano that is broken and has no sound?

"Th-that piano is broken," Amamiya said earnestly, "but it still has some sound!"

"I thought," Ajino said quietly, "I answered you when you asked me once…"

"Eh?"

"I said a broken piano couldn't have sound…" Ajino said. "I even confirmed it myself." The piano had only made the kata, kata sound for him.

"B-but it's true," Amamiya said. "Only Kai-kun can get sound out of that piano!"

"What are you talking about...?"

"I'm not lying," Amamiya insisted. "I saw it with my own eyes…and listened to it with my own ears." Ajino gazed at him, eyebrows furrowed. "I…I tried to get sound out of it, too," Amamiya said, remembering, "but I couldn't. On the other hand, Kai-kun... had no trouble playing it."

"What surprised me is not the fact that it had sound, but the tone of the piano Kai-kun played. I've… never heard… such a cool sound that could make my heart beat so fast…"

Ajino stared at Amamiya. He felt his own heart beating faster. He felt himself sweating. _It…it's just foolish kid's talk, _he thought. _It can't be… no way…_

Amamiya startled him out of his thoughts. "If you go to the forest at night, I'm sure you can listen to it, too." Amamiya said. "Kai-kun's playing that piano every night…"

"Every…night…?"

Amamiya nodded. "The tree right next to that piano in the forest and the second floor window in Kai-kun's house are connected. Kai-kun fell from that window when he was little, and happened to be saved by the tree. He ended up falling on the piano that was left there to rot," Amamiya explained. If he had looked up, he would've seen shock on Ajino's face. "Since then, Kai-kun… played the piano as his toy, and I don't know if that's related at all, but it's Kai-kun's piano, that only he can play!"

Ajino's thoughts were muddled as he made his way home that evening. _Can't be… Is that even possible?_ He sat on his bed in the small apartment, head in his hands. _That piano…what I found it three years ago in the forest, _he remembered seeing the piano's familiar shape through the trees and pressing the keys desperately, and dropping to his knees before it and crying in despair when he realized_ it completely… lost its sound already. _

_That is…something I gave away almost for free: my piano!_

In his mind's eye he saw himself sitting on stage before his piano, playing before a sea of expectant faces. They were never disappointed. On the side of the piano, his name was inscripted in golden letters: S. Ajino. He sat on the bed, remembering. _"Because that's my piano!" _Kai said in his mind. _"If you go to the forest at night, I'm sure you can hear it too," Amamiya said. "Kai-kun's playing that piano every night…"_

He opened his eyes, suddenly determined. _Let's go. Let's go to the forest!_

In the red light district near the forest, people wandered the streets laughing and talking. From behind one door, there came a shout: "Stop it!"

Inside, Kai pushed a middle-aged man off his feet. "I said stop it-! You drunk!" he said angrily.

"What the hell, brat!?" said the man on the floor as another man sitting on a barstool helped him to his feet. "What's up with the attitude toward your dear guests!?"

"Who cares?" Kai said scornfully. "You're not by guest anyway."

"What did you say!?" The man grabbed Kai by the shirtfront. His face was flushed from drinking. "Reiko's guests are your guests!" He smiled slowly. "Hey, Kai…" he said slyly, "you don't really understand your situation here, huh?"

Kai looked at him defiantly.

"You're being fed 'cause we come here to have fun with your mom!" he said.

"Hey, you, cut it out!" The woman who ran the brothel came over the stood between the man and Kai. "Rei-chan will be here soon! Her previous guest is persistent and she's having some trouble…"

"Shut up! Go away, old hag!" the drunken man said. The men sitting at the table playing cards turned to watch. "Oh yeah, Kai…ah hahaha," the man laughed, "you can replaced her."

Kai didn't say anything, just looked at the man warily.

"You entertain me instead of Reiko," the man said tauntingly.

"Don't try," one of the men at the bar warned. The boss lady looked on worriedly but didn't say anything. He began to take off his belt.

Kai grimaced but held his ground. Without looking, he grabbed a bottle of beer from the case behind him.

"Hold him down!" Two men got up and went to help him. One grabbed Kai's wrist and pulled the bottle from his hand, knocking him backwards into the cases.

"Waaaah, stop it-!" Kai screamed.

Ajino stood at the edge of the forest staring into the trees. _Ichinose…_ he thought, as he walked into the darkness, _if you can play my piano…let me listen!_


	10. Ajino Sousuke's Triumph and Downfall

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 10 – Ajino Sousuke's Triumph and Downfall

Ajino hurried through the dark forest, flashlight in hand. He looked only ahead. Even at night, he knew the way by heart. _Come, Ichinose! Let me hear it! If it can really make any more sound…let me hear that sound one more time! Ichinose!_

Inside the brothel, loud laughter could be heard.

"Uwhaaaa, let go of meeeeeee," Kai yelled, fighting the man for the glass beer bottle.

"Give it up, Kai," the drunk man said. He had loosened his belt and his fly was open. "I'm being extra generous to you by being your first customer!"

The owner of the brothel watched him warily, but only said, "Are you serious about this?"

"Of course!" he said. "Kai's maidenhood* is definitely going to be mine."

"Hahaha…" one of the other men said. "You would call a boy a maiden* too?"

"All right," the man ordered. "Drop those pants and show me that asshole!"

"Let gooo!" Kai shouted.

"Hehehe," said the man gripping Kai's arm. "Just give it up, Kai!"

Kai got angry and bit down hard on the man's arm.

"GYAAAAAAHHHHHH" he screamed, letting go of Kai.

"What…" the drunken man said, pulling down his pants.

"Ahahhhhhhhhhhh," the man continued to scream. Kai ripped his teeth away. Blood spurted everywhere. "UWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA He bit off a piece of my arm!" The man fell to the ground rolling and clutching his arm in pain.

"Damn it…" the drunk said. "That kid sure has some guts."

"Ahaha!" the man next to him laughed, watching the other guy. "That's Rei-chan's brat all right!"

"You idiot!" The drunk shouted. "Stop laughing and go hold him down already!"

"Kai spat out the blood in his mouth. He held the beer bottle by the neck and smashed it against the wall, breaking it.

"Don't move!" he shouted, one leg on the case of beer. "If any of you get any closer to me, I'll kill you!"

"Hehhh you really think you have the guts!?" said the drunk.

"Rei-chan's little brat sure is impressive," said the man who had laughed.

Kai held the beer bottle sharp end out, and glared at them all.

_Ichinose! _Ajino held up the flashlight. He was panting. _If possible…I wish to hear that sound once more. Even 'til now I can still clearly remember that piano's sound…that sound that could only be produced by me…that triumphant sound! _

_Originally that piano was… _He remembered how people used to crowd around the piano after concerts. He would watch from the wings. _"I can't believe it!" they would say as they pushed on the keys. "The keys are so heavy!" " There's no way you can produce any sound by playing it in a normal fashion," one said. "This is definitely the personal piano of the world's legendary, one and only, Ajino Sousuke," said another. "To be able to perform so wonderfully on this piano… it's exactly what you would expect from a genius like Ajino Sousuke…" "And he plays it so briskly too."_

_Originally…it was specially created based on my personal preference of having heavier keys. But it then ended up becoming a piano that only I was capable of playing. "They are all thriving pianists of the future, Ajino-san," the maker of my piano told me. "They've never missed a single one of your concerts and they're willing to do almost anything to obtain tickets. And then, whenever they have the chance…they try to touch your piano, so that they can get good luck from your skill and success. It's really child-like behavior."_

"_But I'm hoping that we may have a couple of them who can easily play that piano, just like you, Ajino-san."_

"_Ahhh, no sound at all," one of them giggled as someone tried to play it._

"_But I guess it isn't that easy," my piano maker said. "I can't really blame them. After all, most of today's pianists would probably prefer those pianos with lighter keys, right?"_

_Originally…that piano…could only be played by me, without question. _He remembered his hands flying and sweeping across the keys, producing passion, or sadness, or any feeling he wanted. _It was my personal piano…until that accident occurred…_

"_Hurry! The passenger still shows signs of breathing!"_

"_The driver died on impact." _

He remembered being carried away on a stretcher, being covered in blood, having an oxygen mask put over his face.

_How did it turn out this way… Even now I still can't remember. _

…_but because of that accident…_

"_By today's medical standards, your left hand will probably never return to the way it was," the doctor said. I only gazed at him impassively. "Of course, it shouldn't be a problem for you to play the piano at your leisure…but, as a professional pianist…" the nurses looked down, "I'm afraid I can only give you my apologies about that."_

_That led me to finally realize…that my professional piano career was officially over. And then… it was as if half of me had just died away. _

"_It has been two months since that tragic incident, and Ajino Sousuke is still refusing to accept any visitors," a newswoman announced on the television. "In that nightmarish car crash, he not only lost his beloved fiancé, his future and glory as a world-class pianist was also destroyed." They showed a picture of Kyoko-chan, at the time only twenty-two. "Such a happy engagement press-conference... The accident that took away the happiness of these two was apparently caused by two children who suddenly ran onto the road…"_

"_What a pity."_

"_Many fans are still continuing to send fresh flowers over every day…"_

_Everything I knew about the incident then…was provided by outside media sources. _

"_On the college side, they've also officially declared that they plan on hiring Ajino-shi as an honorary professor."_

"_We eagerly hope that he'll be able to raise and instruct a second or even third "Ajino Sousuke""_

"_If a college can enlist a man who has achieved so much, it could become a showcase for the school"_

"_No matter what, we wish him a quick recovery."_

_At that time, my hand could only ball into a fist. But I did not care. All my feelings…probably died with the accident too. Soon after that, I sold my piano. It raised rumors amongst even the other professors._

"_Have you heard? About Ajino-san… Ajino-san's specially made piano… it seems like he's completely giving it away for free to some dealer."_

"_I can't blame him… After something like this, I'm sure it's pretty painful to keep that piano by his side."_

"_I know you're right…but…for free… That piano is supposedly worth at least ten million yen!"_

"_But the keys on that piano are way too heavy…it was practically useless for anyone else besides Ajino-san."_

"_However, when he was still popular that piano was once worth more than over a hundred million yen. And back then it was rumored upon all the students…that anyone who is able to touch that piano will have a fortune of a lifetime…"_

"_Nowadays there are some students who claim that instead of fortune…it really just brings you misfortune."_

"_Really…!?"_

"_Watch what you're saying…you wouldn't want him to hear about this!"_

"_No way… I don't think he's in the mood to care about gossip anymore. Everyone has already seen how he changed after that tragic accident… even the students now are all pretty afraid of Ajino-sensei. Although he's supposed to be here to teach them how to play…but he always just stands behind them like a ghost and does not speak a word!"_

"_Some of the students even say…that maybe his hearing got impaired in that accident, or maybe he's just completely deaf!"_

_I heard the gossip. My ears can still hear…but what happened… I no longer have any feelings toward the things I hear._

…_except for the echoing sound I had created, that now only remains as memories…_

_And so, I've become more and more distant from my students. After a few years, "Ajino Sousuke the Pianist" became something completely of the past._

_Then, ten years later, I was finally let go from that empty title of 'Honorary Professor'._

*Japanese has separate terms for female virgin and male virgin. Here, the man is talking as if Kai is a female virgin, possibly due to his feminine looks.


	11. Calling

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 11 – Calling

_Ten years after the accident, I was let go from my 'Honorary Professor' title. I didn't feel sad nor lonely after leaving the world of piano, but for some reason, I thought of seeing that piano that I parted with for one last time._

_The dealer had sold it to a bar in the red light district, so I went there. It was daytime, and the streets were almost deserted._

"_Ah…that huge-ass piano," the manager said. "Yeah, I remember it. I think I bought it about ten years ago, thinking it was cheap. But all of the pianists that worked for me complained that it was hard to play and hated it, so I replaced it with our current piano." He pointed to an upright in the corner. "I gave that "useless" thing away for free to the cabaret 50 meters from here," he told me._

"_Cabaret?" I left._

"_Oh, but that cabaret went under and doesn't exist anymore!" he called after me. _

_I found the cabaret. The sign was still there, but the walls were cracking and the paint was peeling. _

"_There's nothing in the cabaret," a woman on the street told me. "Wanna see it? Hooligans are using it as their hangout now."_

_I asked about the piano._

"_Piano? You're looking for that?"_

"_Ah, yeah, we had that! A huge piano in the middle of the store! Oh memories…" A toothless drunk on the side of the street had heard us. "Maaan, I used it a lot, too."_

_He couldn't have possibly played it, and he saw that thought in my face._

"_Ah ha ha… a stripper was always on the piano." He hiccupped. "And when she was in the mood, she'd let up to 5 of us do her without protection. That piano was amazing… for real! It was just the right size and height for a strip show! Even if the stripper was dirty, she would look like a fair lady. Ah ha ha…"_

_Hearing this, I walked away._

"_Hey, hold on!" the woman called after me. "You're looking for that piano, right!?"_

"_You know where it is?" I asked._

"_U fu fu, I'll tell you if you buy me!" She caught up to me and grabbed my arm. "You're my type, so I'll give you a discount! You're really lucky!"_

"_Thanks, but no thanks." I walked away again. _

"_Eeeeh, why!? Don't you wanna know where the piano went?" she asked._

_What is painful is not the fact that I can't find the piano, but the fact that I see myself in the piano._

"_Heeey, are you sure about the piano?" the prostitute called after me. "What a weirdo," she muttered to herself. Then she said: "I heard…that they threw the piano away in the forest ahead!"_

_I looked back. She pointed in the direction of the forest. _

_And I found the piano abandoned in the forest. I hadn't realized how much it would bring back. But my piano that I touched after 10 years… had already lost its sound. _

_I played it desperately, but it would not sound for me. And then it hit me, what I had lost. Why…why couldn't I_

_Why couldn't I have died in that accident!?_

_I knelt in front of that piano for a long time. _

_Three years after that, I got a job as an elementary school music teacher near the forest. It's not like I intended to decay with the piano… but I just could not get away from this forest. I still think about it sometimes. Why couldn't I have died at that time?_

_And the sound of the piano that I can never forget…Ichinose! If you can really play that piano, please let me listen! Let me listen to that sound!_

_Ichinose!_

"UWAAAAAH." Kai yelled. The men had pinned him stomach down to the table. The drunken man held his head to the table. Two other men pinned down his arms. They had pulled his pants off. "Damnit! Let go of me!"

The men had not gotten away unharmed. They were all bruised. One had a bloody nose. Another had the broken bottle poking out of his bleeding scalp. "…Shit, giving us a hard time and all," the drunk said. His head was bleeding too. "Hold him down tight!"

"Listen, Kai," he said mockingly. "We'll tenderly care for you from now on, so you better appreciate it! Most of the men on this "edge of the forest" usually end up becoming hooligans or yakuza, but it's a different story if one is born beautiful like you! You can accept a few guests and earn some easy money. You'll even feel good…"

"Ah ha ha, that's true!" another chimed in.

"Aren't you happy, Kai!? You're lucky!"

"Don't worry!"

"Yup, yup, it'll only hurt at first!"

"Ah ha ha, you'll eventually get used to it and feel good." The drunk grabbed Kai's hips.

"WAAAAAAAAH." Kai screamed. _Re-REI-CHAN!_

The sharp end of the beer bottle stabbed into the drunk man's backside. His jaw dropped and he turned to look, clutching his bleeding buttock. A gorgeous woman stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip, holding a lit cigarette between her fingers. The other held the broken beer bottle by the neck. She wore a navel-bearing top, a matching tight skirt, hoop earrings and heels. Her golden hair floated around her face. She stared them down.

"Rei-chan," said one of the men nervously.

"Ah, Rei-chan." Kai said, looking back.

"Thanks for waiting, doctor!" Reiko said with her eyebrows raised. "You'll hurt yourself if you show off your butt like that."

"Rei-chan," he said, tears streaming down his face in pain. Blood spurted out of his buttock when he tried to pull up his pants. He left them down.

"Aren't you glad that you can probably take care of such an injury yourself?" Reiko smiled mercilessly. "Being a doctor after all. But, if you lay one finger on Kai again, I'll definitely kill you!"

All hands came off Kai at once.

"D-don't be mad, Rei-chan!" the drunk doctor said. "Kai will eventually take guests anyway... Why not let some old fart be the first…" He got more confident as he absorbed his own logic. "Besides, don't I have a right to be the first anyway? It was me that delivered Kai from you, who was about to die from a difficult delivery!"

"Shut up, drunk!" Reiko ordered. She stuck the lit end of her cigarette squarely into the doctor's forehead, snuffing it out. He screamed.

Kai took the chance and ran out of the room, still only wearing his shirt and shoes.

"Who's taking guests?" Reiko asked the doctor. "Who'll be getting laid by a perverted old fart?" Tears and snot streamed down his face.

Reiko held up the broken bottle and addressed them all. "Listen well, for I'll only say it once! Kai won't be done by anyone!" She looked at each of them intently. "Kai will… do women."

Kai ran upstairs to the apartment that he and Reiko shared. He kicked off his shoes as he ran.

_Shit, shit! _He didn't think of what had almost happened to him. _Damnit, damnit! _He slid open the balcony door and jumped through it, his blood boiling too much to slow down and climb.

Oomph. Leaves rustled. "Owww…" Ajino muttered to himself as he extracted his foot from a hole in the forest floor. _Why is there a hole in such a place? Ku…what am I doing anyway?_ He heard Amamiya's voice in his head. _"Th-that piano is broken but it still has some sound! Only Kai-kun can get sound out of that piano! If you go to the forest at night, I'm sure you can listen to it, too."_

Ajino sighed and sat down at the base of a tree, head in his hand. _Taking a child's words seriously, and coming all the way to this forest in the dark. I'm terrible. What am I doing? It's more believable if there's a rumor saying "a forest ghost plays the piano."_

Ponnn. A note sounded in the night.

Ajino opened his eyes. He sat up. His heart pounded. _Pi-piano!?_

Another note sounded.

Poooon.


	12. Little Brown Bottle

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 12 – Little Brown Bottle

Ponnnn.

Ajino stared in the direction of the sound. _A…a piano's sound!? _He got up and walked toward it. _Could it be…could it really be a piano?_

The notes came faster now, ringing chaotically. The sound bounced off the trees in every direction. It wasn't music at all.

_Why does it sound so out of control? _thought Ajino. His fists clenched with emotion. _It's echoing through the woods. But, this is definitely the sound of a piano. _He laughed softly to himself. _Maybe it's being produced by the ghosts that haunt this forest. Or maybe there's just something wrong with my head._

Pon. Pon. Po. Po Pan. Kai stood at the piano and vehemently hit random keys over and over, taking out his anger on the piano. Pon Pon Pan Pan. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." He said as he played. "Shitheads!" he said, remembering their faces leering at him and trying not to cry. He gritted his teeth. He thought about them grabbing his shirt, their laughing faces grabbing his arm. Both hands smashed down on the keys. BAN!

He leaned on the piano keys, panting. He looked up. There was a rat sitting on its hind legs on the lid of the piano, watching him.

"What are you looking at!?" Kai demanded. "I'm in a really bad mood right now, so hurry up and scram, or I'll do mean things to you!" he warned.

"Kyuu!" A baby rat crawled out from under mother rat and squeaked. "Kyuu, kyuu, kyuu, kyuu!" Three more rat babies crawled out. Kai glared at them. "Kyu," one of them squeaked softly.

"Sh-SHIT!" Kai slammed on the keys again, making the rat family jump. BAN BAN BIN BIN. The rats bounced and shook from the force of the sound and vibration of the piano. Kai bashed on the piano until sweat dripped from his face. He scrunched up his face and hit the keys again and again – the notes tumbled out wildly – until all of the anger and pent-up fright drained away.

He stood there, eyes closed, his face bathing in the moonlight shining from behind the trees. The tension left his body, and he let out a long breath.

_Ah… finally calmed down… _The rats were still there. They looked at him anxiously, as if making sure he was okay. _This has to be a piano enchanted with magic, _Kai thought, playing softly now. _It always manages to heal my heart. _The mother rat cocked her head at Kai. He looked up and saw that she was still there. He pulled the chair toward closer and sat down, and grinned at the rats.

"So," he said, "let's play a piece for me to listen to."

The melody rose up toward the sky, the notes twinkling like little stars.

Ajino gasped. He knew that sound. _This…this sound is!? Ah! Is this a dream!?_ He walked toward it, unsure whether to be hopeful or frightened. The moonlight streamed down through the leaves, as if the sky were shining a spotlight onto the mysterious bare-footed boy sitting at the piano. His hair shone.

_Ichinose!_

Kai played on, mesmerized by the sound his fingers were creating, like an offering to the heavens. Completely oblivious of his audience – the man standing the shadow of the woods, the rat family listening intently from the top of the piano, the very trees – he played.

_What..._ Ajino thought as the familiar tune struck him, _this music is…the piece that I composed. "The Little Brown Bottle"…! Ah, that's what she said. "I've heard my son say that…there is a student who can perfectly play the piece of music that you've composed." How is this possible!?_ He stared at Kai, stunned. _Did you really memorize the whole thing after hearing it just once? Ichinose!_

_And this sound is…_ Tears came to Ajino's eyes.

"_What amazes me most is the sound that is created when Kai-kun plays…" Amamiya said. "It is such a cool, heart-pounding and touching sound."_

_This…piano's sound is…is my sound. The sound that I've lost…_

_This sound…_

He felt himself being drawn toward the piano, toward the angel that was creating this familiar, heartrending music. The grass beneath his feet rustled. A twig broke.

"Kyuuu." The rats scurried away at the sight of this stranger, but Kai had sunk far too deeply into the melody to notice.

_This hand is…_

Kai reached the cadenza. Pons burst from the piano as his fingers skipped from key to key. Kai closed his eyes, the better to listen. He was lost in the sound. His thumb slid down the keyboard to the lowest note. And with one last chord – PAN! – both hands jumped off the keys into the air above his head. He smiled.

Ajino grabbed Kai's hand.

_This hand is a miracle…_

Kai panicked.

"UWAHAAAAA," Kai screamed. He thrashed trying to get free. Tears came out of his eyes. He fell off the chair and hit the ground, but his hand was still caught. He kicked out at the ground, at the thing holding him, at anything he could reach. "WAH! Let go let go let goooooooooo!"

"Ichinose! Ichinose!" Ajino said, not letting go.

"You pervert!" Kai screamed. "You're even willing to chase me all the way here! I won't let you do it! There's no way I'm going to sell my body!"

"Ichinose! Ichinose! Calm down!" Ajino cried. "Ichinose, it's me! It's Ajino."

"Eh?" Kai stopped flailing. Tears still streamed down his face. His mouth quivered.

"It's my fault for frightening you," Ajino said, "so could you calm down for a little bit?"

"A…Ajino…is… the music teacher?" Kai could barely see.

"That's right," Ajino said, releasing Kai's arm now.

"Ah," Kai said. He sat on the ground facing Ajino. "Really. What is it sensei? Why would you come here?"

"How…how should I explain this…" Ajino said, combing through his hair with his fingers. "To tell you the truth…this piano is actually mine…"

"IT'S MINE!" Kai shouted.

"That's right," Ajino said calmly. "This is your piano."

Kai crossed his arms in front of his chest, still suspicious.

"This was actually…my piano from a long time ago," Ajino said. "But, right now, there's only one person in the world who can play it, so it's your piano."

Kai had no idea what he was talking about. He stared at Ajino.

"Ichinose," Ajino said. He held out his hand and took Kai by the arm. "Can we play the piano together?"

"Huh?" Kai said, taken aback.

Ajino took Kai's hand in his. "This hand is the chosen hand. The hand chose…by the piano!"

Kai stared at the hand that Ajino held.

"If this is neither a dream no an illusion, then it must be reality," Ajino said to himself.

Kai knocked Ajino's hand away from his own and ran.

"Ichinose!" Ajino shouted.

"Stop joking around!" Kai yelled defiantly down at Ajino from halfway up the tree. "Why would I want to play with a crappy person like you!? I was fine playing by myself, 'til you came and ruined my fun… What time do you think it is anyway? You big moron!" He glared at the speechless Ajino. "Here's the basics, Ajino! A piano is meant to be played by only one person!" He shook one finger at the man standing below. "Humph. Remember that!"

Ajino watched as Kai disappeared into the tree.

"I…"

_Ichinose._

He stared at the abandoned piano. _If this is neither a dream nor an illusion, then it must be reality…_

_It probably started when Ichinose was little, and started to play with the piano when he fell out of the window. The piano in the wilderness… was unwilling to just see its life slowly fade away, day by day, so day by day it relied on Ichinose's growing hands to keep itself alive. This is why the piano was still able to produce its original sound. Even though he was just playing it for fun…_

_And so, Ichinose was able to preserve its sound 'til this day._

_The forest… "The piano of the forest" is still miraculously growing. Ichinose Kai is the one who has nourished it!_


	13. Mozart

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 13 –Mozart

Kai sat on the limb of the tree, staring at his hand in the moonlight, but it looked the same as it always had.

That night, as the Amamiya household was eating dinner, Mrs. Amamiya sighed.

"Let's give up, Mom," Shuhei cajoled. "He rejected me, so there's no other way. I gave up!" he smiled. "I feel better now that the rejected me!"

"I can't give up," his mother said, looking depressed. "We need Ajino-sensei's coaching for your sake, too, Shuhei-san."

Shuhei drooped. "Even if you say so, Ajino-sensei clearly stated that he doesn't take any pupils…"

"That's what he said," Mother said. "He kept saying he never taught Ichinose-kun how to play the piano…"

Shuhei thought about this. "Then….maybe he didn't. Maybe there is no connection between them," he said, thinking about his conversation at school with Ajino-sensei. Ajino had seemed to know very little about Kai-kun.

"If only Ajino-sensei would listen to Shuhei-san's playing," his mother sad, sniffling, "he'd understand you are at a totally different level than other children…"

_That reminds me…_ Shuhei thought, _I wonder if Ajino-sensei went to the forest to listen to Kai-kun… _

_Haha… impossible…who would believe a story like that…?_

"Ah…" Mother said, catching Shuhei's attention. She stood up in excitement. "I'm sure Ajino-sensei will change his mind if you get first place in the piano contest next month!"

"D-don't say first place…" Shuhei said nervously.

"Why are you being so weak-minded, Shuhei-san!?" Mother exclaimed. "You've been practicing more than enough for that! Your father as well. He received first place when he was your age!"

Shuhei looked down at his food. "But…that doesn't sound right…" he said. "Getting first place just so Ajino-sensei would recognize me…"

Mother shook her finger at him. "No, Shuhei-san," she told him. "You're getting first place…so that you can be a pianist."

Kai sat on the windowsill and leaned against the glass, staring at his hands and remembering Ajino's words.

_Ichinose, Ajino said. Can we play the piano together? This hand is the chosen hand. The hand chosen by the piano!_

Kai held his hand out up to the light in the room, frowning in concentration. He squinted, trying to see what Ajino could have possibly meant by that.

_What the heck is Ajino thinking…? _he thought.

The next day at school, in classroom 5-3:

"Ichinose-kun! Ichinose Kai-kun!"

A boy stood up and raised his hand. "Sensei!" he said. "Kai hasn't come to school yet." The teacher sighed.

The short boy tapped Kinpira on the shoulder. "I bet Kai ran away because he's afraid of your revenge, Kin-chan," he whispered.

"Yeah, I bet he did," Kinpira said.

Later that day, Kinpira made his friend hold out his backpack so he could punch it to let off steam.

"Shit," Kinpira said as he attacked the backpack. "I got tricked into eating his meat yesterday, and the teacher hit me two times." His friends cowered behind the backpack. "Shit. I won't feel better until I get back at him at least ten times more!"

_Got tricked, _thought one of Kai's friends, watching this. "I know Kai didn't skip school because of Kinpira," he said to the boy behind him, grinning. "Today's lunch will be meat again."

"Ah! Sweet and sour pork!" the boy replied.

Amamiya watched this and didn't say anything.

Squeak, went the door of the Amamiya home after school.

"I'm home," Amamiya said. There was a familiar pair of beaten up shoes sitting just inside the door.

_Ah!_ thought Amamiya. He hurried to the lesson room.

"Ka- Kai-kun!" he said. Kai was sitting at the piano.

"Welcome back!" Kai exclaimed happily. "You're slow, Amamiya!"

"What happened, Kai-kun?" Amamiya asked, worried.

"I got here a while ago, but your mom was about to go shopping for groceries," Kai explained. "So she told me to come in and wait here…"

"Not that," Amamiya said. "You skipped school today! Were you scared of Kanehira-kun's revenge? Or were you avoiding the meat on the lunch menu?"

Kai laughed. "I'm lucky! Today's menu was meat, huh!? No," Kai said, "I just skipped school!"

Amamiya sighed. "What a guy," he said.

Kai flipped open the book on the piano stand. "Hey, Amamiya! Is this your musical score?" he asked. He looked over at Amamiya, who was setting down his backpack.

"Yup," Amamiya said. "It's Mozart."

"Mozart?" Kai said. "I know Mozart. He's the one with the rolled up, gray hair in the music room, right?" He looked closely at the sheet music. "Ooooh, so this is Mozart," he said. "I don't know what's going on, but it looks really difficult."

"I have the "Japan National Students' Piano Contest" in one month," explained Amamiya as Kai flipped through the score. "That's a set piece for the preliminary round."

"Japan National…Contest?" Kai asked.

"It's a contest held once a year," Amamiya said. "Among several piano contests, this one is the most difficult and said to be a gateway to become a pianist. My dad got first place in the elementary school students' division when he was little, so my mom keeps bugging me to try it out this year." He sighed, resigned.

"Super cool!" Kai exclaimed. "Then you'll get first place two generations in a row!"

"I don't think it's that easy…" Amamiya said. "Let me play something for you…"

"Okay," Kai said happily. "Mozart! Mozart!" He got up to make space for Amamiya.

Amamiya sat down at the piano. "Piano Sonata in F major, K280, by Mozart," he announced. He started to play, his eyes locked on the sheet music.

_Ooh, _Kai thought, smiling. _This is Mozart._ He looked at Amamiya. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. He turned the page of the score. Kai stared at him.

"A-Amamiya…" he said. "You play while looking at the score?"

"Yup," Amamiya said, still playing. "I should start memorizing it, but I'm still a bit anxious…"

"…so that means, this musical score and what you just played… are the same…?" Kai asked. "I mean, they are the same piece?"

"They are! If you play this score on a piano, you'll get this song," Amamiya said. "Ah, you can't read musical scores, Kai-kun?"

Kai frowned and shook his head. "Nope. Not at all." He made a fist and punched his other hand. "Wow! You can read musical scores, huh, Amamiya!?" he exclaimed. "You're so cool!"

Amamiya's face went red. "Ah, no…Shall I play it again?" he asked.

Kai nodded. "Please!" This time, Kai followed the score with his eyes as he listened.

_Ah._ Kai thought. _The sound and the musical score…are merging in my head. _Unconsciously, his hands started playing along in the air. The lines of music filled his mind. _This is…"Piano Sonata in F major K280" by Mozart._

_This is…Mozart's…_

"Kai-kun!" Amamiya said, startling Kai from his thoughts. He had finished playing the piece and was standing in front of Kai holding a book of sheet music. Amamiya sighed. "You weren't listening, Kai-kun!"

Kai nodded. "I was. Mozart is really good!" he said.

"I'm done playing the piano now!" Amamiya said in exasperation. "I said I'm gonna teach you how to read scores…"

"Eh?" Kai said

"Here, try to learn this," Amamiya said, holding out the book to Kai. It said "Easy Music" on the front. "You'll be fine with easier pieces!"

Kai waved his hands in front of him. "No, it's okay, I already memorized it!" he protested. "I at least memorized the song just now, so I don't wanna study!"

"No, no, you came all the way here," Amamiya insisted.

"Ah!" Kai said. "Now that I remember! I came here for something!"

Amamiya looked at him, confused.

Kai looked back at him seriously. "Maybe Ajino knows the _secret_ of the "Piano of the Forest."

"Eh? Ajino-sensei does…!?"

Kai told Amamiya what Ajino had said: "But, right now there's only one person in the world who can play it, so it's your piano."

Amamiya and Kai stood there, looking at each other. "Wh-what did he mean by that?" Amamiya asked.

"No idea," Kai said, irritated. "He came to the forest all of a sudden and told me that!"

"Eh? Y-you saw him in the forest? Ajino-sensei!?" Amamiya asked, astonished.

"Yup," Kai said, turning and scratching his head in aggravation. "What's wrong with him!? Who'd go into the forest at that hour? He's such an amateur, too!"

"K-Kai-kun, sorry, it's because I told Ajino-sensei..."

"And he asked me if I wanted to play the piano with him!" Kai exclaimed, interrupting Amamiya.

"Eh?" Amamiya said.

"How can I play the piano with him under those circumstances!?" Kai asked angrily, sitting down on the couch. "We're not even friends. Whadya think? I wasn't even wearing my underwear because of some stuff…"

"I think…it means he's gonna teach you the piano…" Amamiya said quietly.

"No kidding!" Kai said. "I didn't ask him to, who does he think he is!? He's irritating!"

"It's amazing." Amamiya said, smiling a little. "I asked him to, but was rejected."


	14. An Excellent Teacher

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 14 – An Excellent Teacher

"It's amazing," Amamiya said. "I asked him to, but was rejected."

Kai stared at him. "Why?" he asked.

"Eh?" Amamiya said.

"Why did you ask Ajino for that?" Kai said, in confusion. "I can't believe it. You can play the piano without asking him to teach you Amamiya. It's Mozart all right."

Amamiya just looked at him.

"Mozart's "K280"! The one you played just now!" Kai motioned playing it in the air. "It was great, "K280"!" He hummed it softly.

Amamiya smiled at his friend. "It's not just enough to play it good," he said, turning back to the piano. "I have to become a pianist in the future."

Kai stopped his humming to listen.

"My mom said I need an excellent teacher for that," Amamiya said.

"Yeah, your mom is a big fan of Ajino," Kai said. "But Ajino isn't that great a teacher at school. You'd never know if he's "excellent" or not… I don't know about the past, but now…" Kai crossed his arms to think about this.

"To tell you the truth, I'm rather relieved that he rejected me," Amamiya said. "I'm saved! Sorry for Mom, but… I didn't feel right about him as a teacher…"

"Reeeally?" Kai teased. "Though, I don't have a teacher I feel right about, either."

Amamiya laughed, and looked at his friend. "So don't worry about me, Kai-kun," he said, "and go ahead and learn piano from Ajino-sensei!"

"Eh?" Kai said.

"This is your chance, Kai-kun!" Amamiya said. "You should start learning to play the piano seriously!"

Kai just stared at him incredulously. He was getting red in the face.

"You can play so much piano without learning it from anyone, I'm sure you have a great talent!" Amamiya exclaimed. "You should definitely learn it, Kai-kun!"

"Don-DON'T BE STUPID!" he shouted. "Why me!? You're cruel, Amamiya!" He pointed at the other boy. "You just said you were relieved and saved! And now you tell me to learn from him!?"

"Ka-Kai-kun, it's not like that," Amamiya said nervously. Kai glared at him. "I was rejected, but he told you that he'll teach you…"

"No he didn't!" Kai said.

"But he wanted to play the piano with you, meaning…"

Kai let out a breath. "Listen, Amamiya," he said. "I don't plan to learn piano from anyone. Nor does my family have the money to pay for it." He put his hands on his hips and looked at Amamiya defiantly.

"Ah…" Amamiya said.

"I'm different from you." Kai said. "Sorry."

Amamiya looked down at the floor, ashamed.

"Especially him," Kai muttered. "He came to the forest alone in the middle of the night, and scared the hell outta me. He's a dick."

_Dick…_ Amamiya rubbed his eyes. "Ka-Kai-kun, Sorry! It's not Ajino-sensei's fault," he said. "I told him to visit the forest and…"

Kai watched as he tried to find the words to explain.

"I don't care," said Kai. "The fact that Ajino is a dick doesn't change! Would a grown man do something just because he was told…? I've never been so scared before in my life!"

"…But, maybe he has some special reason," Amamiya said. "He might know the reason why only you can play the "piano in the forest," right?"

"About that," said Kai. "I'll be sure to get details from Ajino." He put on his shoes to leave. "Maybe he really was a great pianist in the past, but now he's just a shabby music teacher in an elementary school at the countryside who everyone stays away from!" He stuck out a tongue at Amamiya. "For real."

Amamiya watched Kai open the door and leave. At the very last moment, he said: "Kai-kun! If you don't mind… I can teach you piano. F-for free, of course! See! That piece earlier… Mozart's Piano Sonata in F major…"

"K280!" Kai said happily. He waved as he walked away. "Thanks, Amamiya! But I already memorized it, so it's OK!" He gave Amamiya a thumbs up.

"Sigh," Amamiya said as he watched Kai walk away. "Again he says that…"

Kai hummed the Mozart as he walked, his fingers playing it in the air. He stopped when he saw the school. All the kids had gone home. It was empty. He went in to the empty music room.

"Ah," he said. "Here you are." He looked up at the row of composers on the wall. Mozart was looking out of the picture at him. "Hey! Mozart!" he called. He got up on top of a desk to be face-to-face with the picture. "I heard your song today. Kochel 280." He played it in the air in front of him. "It's pretty good." He stood there on the desk, humming the piece to himself.

At home, Amamiya sat at the piano and practiced the Mozart, and thought.

_Ajino-sensei…didn't choose me…_

_He chose Kai-kun!_


	15. Classical Music

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 2

Chapter 15 – Classical Music

The portrait of Mozart stared out at the boy standing on that desk in the empty music room, fingers playing to the music he sang softly. His eyes were closed.

_I got absorbed in the Mozart song I just learned right away. This is Mozart. My first Mozart. _

_My first classic._

At the same time, in the staff room:

"Ajino-sensei!"

Ajino looked up to see a skinny, bespectacled male teacher waving at him.

"How about a drink today?" he asked. "You're leaving now, right?"

"No…" Ajino said. "I want to double check the key to the music room… so… sorry…" He opened the door of the staff room and left, leaving the other man looking disappointed. The door slammed behind him. In the hallway, he noticed two female teachers talking in front of him. One of them said something that caught his attention:

"Ichinose-kun is so troublesome." That was the shorter woman. She was Kai's homeroom teacher.

"Did he cut class again today?" said the other.

"He did," said Kai's teacher, shaking her head with a sigh. "He's not a bad kid…but I can't figure out what's on his mind." She waved her hands resignedly. "I want to contact his mom, she works for a store called "Akatsuki," but I've never been able to reach her. And going directly to his house is…"

The other teacher, a woman in her 30s, looked frightened. "His house…isn't his house at the "edge of the forest"…?"

Kai's teacher nodded seriously.

"No! Absolutely not! It's dangerous for women to go there!" the taller teacher said vehemently, clutching her chest.

"I know that… well enough," said Kai's teacher thoughtfully.

Ajino listened to their conversation until they left, and then walked up the stairs, lost in his thoughts.

"_Do you want to play with me?" he said, taking the boy's hand. "Eh?" Kai had said in disgust. _

_Why did I…say such a thing…?_

_I thought… I left that world far behind me._

A bar of music drifted past his ear from the direction of the music room.

_Humming?_ he thought. _Is someone there?_

He peered into the music room.

_Ah…_

A light-haired boy was standing on barefooted on a desk, playing an imaginary piano and singing softly to himself. He was utterly lost in the music.

_Ichinose!?_ He beheld this sight in disbelief. _Ichinose…What is he doing here…!?_

Then he really heard what the boy was singing.

_This is Mozart…Piano Sonata in F major K280…_

"Ban ban ba ba ba" Kai sang, arms waving and completely oblivious to his surroundings. "Ban ban ban ban, ban ba ba ba ba ba ba…"

A piano joined in with his singing.

Kai turned around to see the music teacher sitting at the piano, the cover pulled back. He was playing the Mozart. Kai's jaw dropped in shock

_Ah. Ajino!? Why is Ajino here!?_

"You've got guts," Ajino said calmly as he played. "You skipped school, but you came to the music room to play?"

"Ah." _Oh yeah, I'm at school, _Kai thought._ And even in Ajino's territory. I was into Mozart too much and forgot all about it._

"Or did you come here to visit me, Ichinose?" Ajino said, looked at Kai and smiling a little.

Kai's face went red. "Of course not!" he shouted. "I came here to see what Mozart looks like!" He pointed back at the row of composers behind him.

"…That's Mozart?" Ajino asked

"Yup." Kai turned around. "…Who?" An angry man with wild hair looked down from where he was pointing. "Ah…this is Mozart," Kai said, pointing to the correct portrait. "Erm, that is…." He turned around to face Ajino and imitated the man's vicious expression. "Beethoven!"

"And Beethoven sounds like this…" Ajino began to play a gentle, melancholy tune.

_Ah…_ Kai thought as the sound washed over him. He would never have thought that such a mellow melody had come from such an angry-looking man.

"This is "Für Elise"…" Ajino said. "It's so famous that you should've heard it somewhere."

_This…is the song from Rei-chan's music box, _Kai thought.

"Beethoven is a heroic composer who overcame his hearing difficulty," Ajino told Kai. "He has other famous songs, like…"

The piano exploded, blowing Kai backwards.

"Ah." Kai said, as more violent vibrations from the piano collided with his bones. It seemed as if the portrait of the angry Beethoven had risen screaming from the piano.

"This is the Fifth Symphony in C minor, also known as Fate," Ajino said, as if nothing had happened.

Kai laughed loudly. "I know that piece!" He shouted. "That's "da da da daaan," right!? I know it all tooooo well! Good job, Beethoven!"

Ajino listened to all of these things in bemusement.

"Oh heck, I know so much classical music," Kai said, impressed with himself. He pointed at another of the composers. "How about him then? What did this weak looking guy compose?"

Ajino looked at this wild, passionate, yet innocent boy, nonplussed. He didn't know what to make of it, so he could only answer: "He's Mendelssohn." He put his fingers to the keys again. This time, the music was stately and regal. "He's famous for "Wedding March.""

"Aaah," said Kai, listening. "I know this." He turned to face the portrait of Mendelssohn and played along.

_What am I doing?_ thought Ajino.

"Hey, hey, Ajino," said Kai, interrupting both his playing and his thoughts. "How about him?" He was pointing curiously at yet another composer.

"Ah…that's Chopin," Ajino said.

"Chopin," Kai repeated, staring at the portrait of a long-faced man with a small mouth.

"Chopin has many famous pieces as well," said Ajino, "for example…Waltz in D flat major, opus 64, no.1…"

"Minute Waltz."

Kai turned around, eyes wide. Light, airy notes rose up from the keys and filled the air with stars.

"Ah…"

_This is how…I met…_

_Chopin…_


	16. Kai meets Chopin

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 3

Chapter 16 – Kai Meets Chopin

Kai's eyes got wider and wider as he listened to the melody coming from Ajino's fingers.

_This is Chopin. "Minute Waltz."_

A huge grin spread out over his face as he basked in the music as if sunbathing. He was so happy it tickled inside, and his face couldn't contain it.

_It's so amazing!_

"One more time!" Kai exclaimed when Ajino finished playing the piece. "Play that piece one more time, Ajino!"

Ajino looked over at him. Kai's eyes were shining as he held up a finger.

"Please? Please, one more time!" Kai said.

"Did you fall in love with Chopin?" Ajino said, as he began the piece again.

"Yup!" Kai said. "I love this song! It's super cool!"

Ajino looked at Kai and saw his genuine enthusiasm and happiness at listening to the piece. "I see," he said, smiling a little. Kai cupped his hands behind his ears and closed his eyes the better to listen.

_Playing the piano for someone else, _Ajino thought, _I wonder how long it's been. On top of that, I'm playing for a child…a child that stands there with bliss on his face as if receiving a blessing, as if the notes were snowflakes drifting down and settling on his skin._

"One-one more time! Please play it once more, Ajino!" Kai begged. "Please, please, pleaaase, Ajino. Only once!"

Ajino looked up at him from the piano. "First, Ichinose, stop calling me Ajino this, Ajino that!" he said. "Can't you call me…Ajino-sensei?"

"Ah. But we're not in class now," Kai grumbled, "and I don't see you as a teacher."

"Say whatever you want to say clearly," Ajino said calmly.

"I don't see you as a teacher," Kai said loudly.

"Quit quibbling," Ajino said. Kai crossed his arms and scowled. "The kanji for "sensei" means born first. At least I was born before Ichinose."

Kai scratched himself insolently.

"Well, why don't you look at it that way?" said Ajino kindly.

"Okay. I will," said Kai, holding up a finger, "so please play it once more, Ajino…sensei…"

Ajino got up from the piano bench and looked at Kai. "Don't you want to play it yourself, Ichinose?" he said. "Minute waltz by Chopin…"

Kai pointed at himself nervously, eyes shooting question marks at Ajino.

Ajino smiled and with a gesture invited Kai to sit at the piano.

"Daaaah! No! No!" Kai waved his hand in front of his face frantically. "What are you talking about!? I can't play it! You idiot."

"Don't be shy," said Ajino, tapping his temple, "I know you've already memorized the song."

"Eh?" Kai said, surprised.

"There are about 1500 notes in this piece," said Ajino. "I know what you're capable of. That piece you were playing in the forest has more than ten thousand notes. If you can play _that, _you can play _this._"

Kai listened, unmoving, through this entire explanation. At the end, he looked away, irritated. "I…I really can't play."

"You don't have to play it well," Ajino said.

"Geez, you're missing the point!" Kai exclaimed, standing up on the desks. "It's not like that, I don't play." His face turned red in embarrassment as he explained. "I can only play the piano in the forest, but other normal pianos…well. I suck at them. I really can't play them. Shit," he pouted.

"Ah…" Ajino said, hand covering his chin in thought. "I know what you mean. The piano in the forest is special. If you suddenly start playing a normal piano, you own't get the hang of it right away."

Kai looked up hopefully.

"That's all, really."

"Eh?"

"Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to play soon," Ajino said. "Anyway, why don't you play Chopin with this piano?"

Kai jumped down from the desk. "For real?" he said excitedly.

"I'll teach you," Ajino said.

Those words hit Kai like a punch in the stomach.

"I know the strength of your fingers, "Ajino said, looking at the piano. "But the pieces of Chopin, who is called "poet of the piano," can't be played with just muscular strength. Meaning, the technique that he invented…"

"Sensei," Kai said, making Ajino look up. "I'm going home." He looked at the floor. "I have no intention of learning how to play the piano. See, my piano is in the forest, y'know," he said, half trying to convince himself as well as his teacher. "So it's okay if I can't play normal pianos." Kai waved and turned to leave.

"I see…" Ajino said. "Ichinose…"

Kai turned his head.

"When you do feel like learning how to play the piano," Ajino said. "Come to my place any time."

Kai didn't know what to say.

"If you ever need me…" Ajino said.

_It's amazing, Amamiya said. I asked him to, but was rejected. You should definitely learn it, Kai-kun!_

Kai sighed irritably. "It probably… won't happen," he said, looking away. Then he strengthened his resolve. "Nope," he said defiantly. "It'll never happen! I guarantee!"

Ajino just listened to him and didn't react.

"I…want to have fun playing the piano on my own," Kai said sadly. He pointed at the music teacher in exasperation. "You're not getting it at all, Ajino."

Now Ajino smiled again. "What happened to sensei?" he asked.

"Sensei." Kai tacked on, scowling.

Kai left the school, running excitedly. "Chopin chopin chopin," he chanted happily to himself as he went.

Ajino leaned against the piano in the music room, mulling over the past few days.

_… What am I doing…?_ he thought.

That night, Kai was back at the piano. His shoes were left abandoned next to a tree.

"This is Mozart's K280," he said, half to himself and half to the family of rats sitting on the piano watching him as he played.

"And this is…Mendelssohn's Wedding March." He sang along as he played through the songs that he'd heard that day. "Papapapaaa, papapapaaa, papapapan, papapapan."

"I shall not forget Beethoven," he said. "…Fur Elise…aaaaand…" he raised his hands and looked evilly at the baby rats. Ba Ba Ba BAAAANNNNN. The little rodents bounced from the vibration and scurried away to foot of the nearest tree. Kai turned to face them: "Ah ha ha ha, were you surprised!?" he laughed happily. "That's totally normal!"

"And…" he brought his fingers together in concentration, the way Amamiya had done. "This is Chopin. Minute Waltz."

He brought his fingers down the play the first few notes, but they came out all wrong. His right hand lagged horribly behind his left.

"Huh?" He stared at his hands in perplexity. He moved his fingers to make sure they were all working. They were. "Why…!?"

He tried playing the other pieces again, running through the other composers in his head. _Mozart…_ "See," he muttered. _Mendelssohn…_ "See." _Beethoven… I have no problem playing those…_

He tried playing the Minute Waltz again. It turned out exactly the way it had the first time. Horribly.

_But Chopin… why?_ In his mind, the portrait of Chopin looked out at him impassively.

_No way. I can't play Chopin!?_


	17. To Play Chopin (1)

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 3

Chapter 17 – To Play Chopin (1)

Kai tried again. His fingers felt stiff. It didn't make sense. He had played cadenzas with much faster notes than this, but his hands would not cooperate. The rhythm was all wrong.

_Wha-What is this sound!?_ he thought, staring at his hand. It seemed foreign to him. _Why…?_ He clasped the disobedient hand. It _hurt_. He stood there in front of the piano.

_Why can't I…play Chopin!? What happened to my hands…? Whaaaa!?_

"_I know the strength of your fingers," _Kai rememberd Ajino saying._ Ah, that's right. Ajino was saying something. _He tried to play the melody again. _What was it…? What was he saying?_

"_I know the strength of your fingers, but the pieces of Chopin, who is called "poet of the piano," can't be played with just muscular strength."_

_Then what else…? _Kai thought, frustrated as he continued to struggle. _What else do I need!?_

"_Meaning, the technique that he invented is…"_

_Is what!?_ The scene continued to play in his head.

"_Sensei. I'm going home. I have no intention of learning how to play the piano." _

_Ah. _"Shit!"

In the Amamiya residence, music flowed out of the lesson room into the rest of the house. Amamiya's mother and grandmother crowded in the doorway, swooning with pride.

"See!" Grandmother said from her wheelchair. "We don't even have the chance to talk to him!"

Amamiya, at the piano, paid no attention. His eyes were locked on the music as he played. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.

"Right, I've never seen Shuhei-san so serious," Mother agreed. "He's been like that ever since his friend left."

"Ah…Ichinose-kun, was it?" his grandmother said.

_I…I won't lose! _Amamiya resolved furiously as he played. _I won't lose to anybody! I will be the best! I will be the best, and… _Images of Kai and Ajino ran through his head.

"Shuhei-san!" Someone called from behind him, making him jump in surprise. The room filled with enthusiastic applause. He turned around.

"Amazing, Shuhei-san!" his mother said, clapping.

"Ah." Amamiya said.

"But why don't you continue practice after dinner?" she said.

"I'm happy," Mother said to Amamiya halfway through their elaborately set dinner. He looked up. "Cause you're finally motivated."

"I told you not to worry," Grandmother said. "Like father, like son…"

"True…It's just like you said, Mother," she said. She returned to Amamiya and sighed happily. "I can't believe how serious you're playing. Your concentration is almost scary."

Amamiya looked down at his food, cheeks red. He set down his fork. "You know the next contest…? "Japan National Students' Piano Contest"…"

"Yes, the one in a month…?" his mother said.

"You'll enter in the elementary school students section, right?" asked his grandmother. "I'm looking forward to it."

"About that," Shuhei said, looking into his cup seriously. "I'm planning to get first place."

The two women looked at him in surprise, and then looked at each other.

"I want to prove," Amamiya said, "that I'm the best pianist amongst all the elementary school students."

Tears welled up in the two women's eyes at this proclamation of bright legacy they would leave behind.

"O-of course, Shuhei-san," his mother said.

"How promising," his grandmother said.

A girl's voice rang out through the red light district. "Kai! Kaiii!"

Kai still stood before the piano, chair lying forgotten, trying and failing to play the Minute Waltz. He looked up when he heard his name.

"Kai. Dinner's ready," the girl said as she made her way upstairs to Kai's apartment. She had long, curly, black hair and hiked up her skirt as she climbed, even though the dress wasn't nearly long enough to be stepped on. She reached the landing and looked into the room.

"Ka-…" The room was empty. She went back down into the store. "Hey, Kai's not here," she said.

"No way he ain't here," said the boss lady. "Did you really check?"

"If he ain't here, he's skipping his meal," said one of the women sitting in the store.

The girl's mouth quivered. "Poor Kai," she said.

"Daaah" Kai said as he ran down the stairs. "I'm not skipping my meal!" The girl wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Ah, Kai," she said, turning to look at him happily, though there were still tears on her cheek. "Where were you hiding?"

"I wasn't hiding," Kai said.

"Ah ha ha… come quick," said a woman as she set a pot of steaming food on a table, "or you'll miss your meal!" Other women ladled food into bowls and passed them around. They were already all made up and dressed for the night's work.

Another woman wearing a stomach bearing top, short skirt, and heels set a big bowl of food down in front of Kai. "Today's main dish is "Akatsuki Special Garlic Kimchi Natto,"" she announced with a mocking grin on her face. She ladled some of it into Kai's bowl.

Kai slumped. "Uwah, what was I rushing for," he said.

"Don't be picky! This'll give you more strength!" She flexed her skinny bicep to show him what she meant.

"There are pickles too," said a woman in fishnet tights and a very short dress, coming over with another big bowl. "Vivid yellow pickled radish." She had huge, bright red lips.

Kai crossed his arms and looked at the food with a pout.

"You'll get stronger!" The woman said.

Kai turned his nose up at the food. A fly buzzed around his head. Then he sighed. "I don't want to eat it," he said. "I don't need any more strength, either." He held his hands out in front of him and inspected them for the nth time that day. "Just when I was thinking strength won't help me…"

_But, I wonder what I need, to play Chopin… _He closed his eyes, trying to remember. _What was Ajino about to say about that time…?_

"Kai!"

He opened his eyes. It was the big-lipped woman. She had pulled her dress down to reveal her chest.

"If anything's troubling you…" She grabbed his hands and pressed one palm to each breast. "Come to my chest any time!"

"Doesn't look like it!" another woman called as the other prostitutes whooped and clapped. In the corner, the boss lady covered the girl's eyes.

Kai's face went bright red. "D-Don't be silly!" he said. "Let go. Let go of me!"

"Gyahahaha, let go of him," one of the other women laughed.

"When did you take off your clothes anyway?"

"Cut it out already. Our guests are gonna run away."

"Ah ha ha, there are no guests yet."

In the midst of the laughter of the women who had brought him up and teased him all his life, Kai's mind returned to more serious thoughts.

_But for real, what was Ajino…trying to teach me back then?_


	18. To Play Chopin (2)

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 3

Chapter 18 – To Play Chopin (2)

Crash! A bowl fell to the floor and shattered. Kai looked up from where he was washing dishes. A pile of dirty dishes were heaped on the counter in front of him. Clean dishes were stacked before the girl, who was drying. The black-haired girl was staring down through her hands at the now broken bowl.

"Idiot!" shouted the manager, an old man in a vest. "How many dishes do you think you broke!?" The boss lady sat at the counter, smoking a cigarette. The women sitting at the tables doing their make-up for the night looked over at the sound of the shouting. "Two cups and one plate from yesterday! One bowl just now. How many does that make!?"

The girl looked down at her hands and tried to count off her fingers. She looked up at the manager. "Dunno," she said.

"Four!" he said, holding up four fingers. "You broke four dishes."

"Arisa!" said the boss lady. "You're skipping your meal tomorrow."

"Ah," Arisa said, tearing up again.

Kai continued to wash the dishes and didn't say a word. _If we want food, we have to work for it._

"That's why I said washing dishes is too much for Arisa!" said one of the women at the table, as the managers of the brothel continued to glare at the girl.

"Then what else can she do? She can't even go buy anything…"

"I thought she could take out the trash," said another.

"Eeeh, she can?" one said in doubt.

"That aside," the boss lady said. "Why are you barefooted?"

Kai bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the bowl and saw that Arisa was indeed, barefoot.

"I let you wear sandals yesterday, right?"

Arisa looked down at her own bare feet.

"What happened to those sandals?" The boss lady asked. "Where did you leave them?"

Kai grabbed the broom and dustpan, and tried not to seem as if he was hearing the conversation.

"Dunno," Arisa said worriedly. "Ari-chan dunno where she left her sandals."

The old couple glared down at Arisa. Her mouth started quivering again.

"Maybe someone took them," Kai said to make her feel better. "Like a dog or a cat…" He grinned at her mischievously.

"Pu," she said, and then started laughing, happy again.

_Arisa isn't able to do normal things naturally. Maybe it's the same as me not being able to play Chopin now._

"Arisa! Don't get in Kai's way!" the boss lady said as Arisa leaned over the sink.

"Kaaai," Arisa said.

_I don't know… why I can't play it._

"Heeey, heeey," Arisa said, when Kai finished drying. "Let's go to the forest! I want to listen to your piano."

"No," Kai said, squatting down to put the dishes away. "I…can't play it now."

"Ah ha ha…sure you can," Arisa said, squatting with him. "You're good at it."

"Shush!" Kai said. "I really can't play it!"

Arisa just smiled at him.

Just then, the front door opened. A man poked his head in and waved. "Are you open yet!?" he called excitedly.

"Kyaaah, we are, we are," the women said. "Welcome!"

"Oh shit!" Kai said. The boss lady shot a glare in his direction. He hurriedly pulled the last bowl from the counter top.

Soon after, he and Arisa were in the clearing. She leaned on the piano to listen as he tried once again to play the Minute Waltz. He gritted his teeth trying to get his fingers to do what he wanted them to.

Arisa looked at Kai in surprise. "Weird sound," she commented.

Kai let out a sad sigh. "Told you," he said. "I can't play it…"

"Kai," Arisa said, looking at Kai's disappointed expression. "Poor Kai… The piano finally broke down."

"NO." Kai said. He held his right hand. "The piano sounds okay with other pieces. So it's not 'cause of the piano. I just can't play Chopin."

Arisa stared at him. "What kind of bread is Chopin?" she wanted to know. "I never ate that."

"Ah ha ha ha, what an idiot," Kai laughed. "I've never eaten that before, either. Chopin is someone's name!" he explained. "He's a composer that looks like this…" he pulled on his chin and pulled back his hair to imitate Chopin's long face.

Arisa laughed.

"A teacher named Ajino played his song for me," Kai said. "That piece was so amazing…and it made me…want to play it so badly. When I played it, I got this." He tried playing it again, with Arisa looking on.

"That piano…is really broken," she said.

"I told you it's not," Kai said, giving up. He lowered the lid onto the keys. "There's some other method to play Chopin's pieces. Something that I have to learn…" He walked away, dejected. "Ajino tried to teach me…but I declined… Aaaah I want to play it! Now that I know I can't, I really want to play it!" he yelled. He tried not to cry. "…but I don't know how. I should've learned it."

"Here," Arisa said.

"Wah, a hairy caterpillar!" Kai looked closer. It was a cattail.

"I'll give you this," Arisa said, handing him the plant, "so you'll feel better."

"Don't want it," Kai said, sulking.

"Ah ha ha…even someone smart like you has something he doesn't know," Arisa said happily.

"I'm not smart at all," Kai said. "You're just stupid, Arisa…"

"Hrmmmm…" Arisa bent down to pick more cattails as she thought. "If you don't understand it, you can read books," she said. "Whenever Ari-chan says "dunno, dunno," everyone tells her to read books. Ari-chan can't read books, but…"

"Even if I read books, I probably won't figure it out," Kai said sadly.

"Then," Arisa said, "you can learn from your teacher."

Kai scowled at her. "Listen. You don't understand anything, so don't say stupid things," he said, pointing at her. "I have no intention of learning how to play the piano from anyone!" Arisa tried not to laugh. "What?" Kai said.

"Ah ha ha, but that's what you said earlier, Kai," she said. She stood up and held the bouquet of cattails out to him. "You said "I should've learned it!"… half crying… If you want ot play it that much, just learn it."

Kai looked at her stubbornly.

She knelt down in front of him and stuck the bunch of cattails into the waistband of his pants. "Then Ari-chan gets to hear it, too. Kai's Chopin." She ran off.

Kai stood there with cattails sticking out of his pants, thinking.

Late that night, he snuck into the library. Kai sat on the floor between the shelves, surrounded by stacks of books on Chopin and classical music. Moonlight shone through the windows.

"Chopin lived in the same era as Schumann and Liszt," he read, "but he was closer to Rococo mentally. Wait, what is Rococo?" He flipped through the pages. "…general romantic school…is… Romantic this time? Self… hid… Maaan, all these kanji I can't read…" He squinted at the pages, wishing the meaning would elucidate itself.

"I don't get it!" he cried, and let himself fall flat on his back in the moonlight.

Kai skipped school again the next day.

"Kinpira! Why do you think Kai skipped school for five days?" one of Kinpira friends asked as they walked off the school grounds.

"Maybe he's really prostituting with his mom," the other said, laughing.

Kinpira flicked a booger off his finger. "Bastard," he said. "I'll kill him if it's true."

Amamiya stood in the happy chatter of kids after school and watched them walk away. _Wha- Such indecent guys. Kai-kun, too. He keeps skipping school, so… Eh!? _Something flashing by made him turn around. A boy was racing up the stairs of Moriwaki Elementary.

_Ka-Kai-kun!?_

_Kai-kun! Geez, coming to school after class. _Amamiya ran up the stairs after him and into the school. _What is he thinking…?_ He followed Kai upstairs and looked around the corner to see Kai panting and staring down Ajino-sensei.


	19. To Play Chopin (3)

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 3

Chapter 19 – To Play Chopin (3)

Amamiya stared the scene before him. His out-of-breath friend half-glaring at "Funeral" Ajino in the doorway of the music room…

_K-Kai-kun… Why is he seeing Ajino-sensei!?_ He ducked back behind the wall of the stairwell, not wanting to be seen eavesdropping. _Ah… could he be learning piano…!?_

"_Don't be silly! Why do I have to learn piano from Ajino!?" Kai said angrily. "Why do I have to learn it from that dick…?"_ Amamiya thought about how earnest his friend had been.

_Impossible… Kai hated him so much…_

Ajino looked at the panting boy in worry and surprise. He had been about to leave for the day. "Ichinose… What's going on?"

Kai straightened up. "Sensei!" he said desperately. "Chopin… Please teach me Chopin." He looked up at Ajino, fear and excitement fighting for control of his face. At that moment, everything depended on his answer. Chopin was all that mattered.

If Ajino was surprised, which he was, it didn't show on his face. It did, however, show on Amamiya's.

_Eh!? Ka…Kai-kun!? _He was suddenly struck by fear and anger. _I knew it. You wanted to learn how to play the piano from Ajino-sensei, Kai-kun! _

_When I suggested that… he really hated the idea… But he actually wanted to learn!_

Kai was still trying to catch his breath. "I can't play…" Amamiya heard him say. "I can't play… "Minute Waltz." I can play all other pieces… but not Chopin…"

_He can't play…Chopin? _Ajino thought.

Kai was red-faced at going back on his claim. He wrung his hands and looked at the floor. "I can't play it… but I really want to. If you teach me, I'm sure I'll be able to play Chopin."

Ajino nodded slowly. "All right. I'll teach you," he said.

Kai looked up at him hopefully.

"Come to school tomorrow," Ajino said. "Attend the lectures, and come here again after school."

"But then, I don't have money!" Kai said. Ajino just looked at him, waiting for him to explain. "I don't have money to pay for the lesson, but I don't want to be taught for free!" Kai said, waving his hands above his head to keep charity at bay. "So I want some kind of deal other than money."

Ajino thought about this, then smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay. Then, we'll make some other kind of deal."

Kai nodded seriously.

"I'll teach you Chopin," Ajino said. "And you don't run away until you can play it!"

"Eh?" said Kai, confused.

"Don't run from the piano, nor me."

_Ah…_ Kai's eyebrows furrowed.

Ajino smiled down at him. "Now the deal is closed." He turned and began to walk away. Kai stared after him.

"D-Don't be silly, Ajino!" he cried. "Are you looking down on me!?" He ran after the music teacher and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I won't run away!" he said angrily. "The piano is like a toy for me! That deal doesn't work!"

"But you're suffering because you can't play that toy, right?" Ajino said calmly.

_Ah…_ He had a good point.

"Tomorrow, for a start… Come. Don't run away." He left.

Kai watched Ajino walk down the hall. "Shit!" he muttered. _It's just Ajino."_ He walked toward the stairs. As he rounded the corner,

"WAH!" It was just Amamiya, standing silently, back against the wall. He was looking at the ground. "Ah…"

"I'm sorry, Kai-kun," Amamiya said quietly. "I didn't intend to eavesdrop… bur I heard." He looked up at Kai and smiled. "I saw you going into the school when I was about to go home, so… I was worried cuase you skipped school five days in a row."

Kai smiled back at him and ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. They headed down the stairs together. "Maaan, sorry, sorry," he said. "It's just like always, I was slacking off."

_Uhyaaah, I'm so lame,_ Kai thought. _I bad-mouthed Ajino so much, but now I'm the biggest liar there is._

"But I'm glad," Amamiya said, "that you're learning how to play the piano from Ajino-sensei. I'm really happy. You see, you were saying something like you don't approve of Ajino or something…" _Of course he approves! 'Cause he was…the best pianist out there…_

"It's not like I approve of him now," Kai said as they put on their shoes. "... but I had this one music piece that I couldn't play…" _Argh, I feel terrible, _he thought. _It'll be an excuse no matter how I explain. A liar is a liar._

"Ah… you mean "Minute Waltz," right? By Chopin?" Amamiya said. They walked through the front doors of the school "That's kinda weird! Hard to believe you can't play a piece like that… Aside from a normal piano… You should be able to play it with the piano in the forest."

"But… I really can't play it," Kai said, sighing and dragging his feet.

"Whether it's true or not," Amamiya said, looked back up the stairs at Kai, "it made you want to learn the piano from Ajino-sensei, so it's a good thing!"

"No kidding," Kai said. "I don't plan to be taught by him forever. As long as I get how to play Chopin. Only _one _piece," he insisted.

"It's all right, it's all right!" Amamiya said from the bottom of the stairs, waving. "It's a good thing!" He ran off toward home. "See ya tomorrow then! All right?"

He ran as fast as he could, trying to outrun that feeling of tension in his limbs and the squeezing of his chest. _If it's a good thing, _he told himself, _then everything should be okay! There's no need for me to get angry! I did advise him to do it, too… I know it's not Kai-kun's fault, _He slowed to a walk, energy spent. _But why do I feel something's not right…? What do I…_

Kai watched Amamiya disappear into the distance.

_Was I…disappointed in Kai-kun a little…?_

The next day at school:

"A fight, a fight." Children raced down the hallways past Amamiya.

"A fight in class 5-3." He watched them go. He'd gotten used to the commotion by now.

"Kai and Kinpira got into a big scuffle!" someone called.

"Eh?" Amamiya ran towards the classroom. "Ah," he gasped when he saw them. "Kai-kun!" In the middle of the cheering and calling throng of children, Kinpira had Kai by the shirt. Kai had a bloody nose and fended Kinpira's punches off best as he could with his feet.

"Don't play innocent!" Kinpira screamed. "There's a rumor that you cut school to prostitute with your mom!"

"That's none of your business!" Kai shouted.

"Answer me, prostitute brat!"

"SHUT UP, PIG!"

"Kai-kun," Amamiya yelled, making his way through the children. "Just ignore him!"

"Take this, fat-ass!" Kai shouted, raising his fist to punch Kinpira.

"KAI-KUN!" Amamiya grabbed the fist, stopping the punch. Kai swung his head around angrily to see who had interfered. "Kai-kun, you shouldn't use your hands."Amamiya said. "This is no time for you to get into a fight!"

"Let go of me, Amamiya!" Kai shouted, pointing a finger at Kinpira. "I'm strangling this pig today."

"Wha-"

Kinpira leered at them. His shirt had a dirty footprint from where Kai had kicked him with his bare feet. "Bring it on," he said. "Strangle me, if you will."

"What are you talking about, Kai-kun!? Did you forget!?" Amamiya said urgently, refusing to let go. "You're taking a lesson from Ajino-sensei today!" Kai glared sideways at him. "If you hurt your hand, it'd be a mess!"

Kinpira's gang looked at this exchange, confused.

"This is not a hand for fights anymore," Amamiya said, waving Kai's wrist to emphasize his point.

"Let go of me, Amamiya," Kai said quietly.

"Then you won't fight anymore, will you?" Amamiya insisted.

"I SAID LET GO OF ME!" Kai wrenched his hand out of Amamiya's grasp. "I can do whatever I want with my hands!" He stood there facing Amamiya, breathing heavily. Amamiya took a step back, clutching the hand that had held Kai's.

"Ah... Kai-kun…?


	20. Start the Lesson

The Perfect World of Kai

Volume 3

Chapter 20 – Start the Lesson

"I said let go of me! I can do whatever I want with my hands!" Kai yanked his hand away and stood there, glaring at Amamiya. Behind him, Kinpira looked at his own hands, confused.

"Ah…Kai-ku-…?" Amamiya held the hand that had grabbed Kai's protectively, slightly frightened.

"What, what? What's going on?" Kids crowded around the doorway and windows of the classroom to see the commotion.

"Of course. It's your hand..." Amamiya said slowly. "It's up to you what you want to do with it… but you have an important lesson coming up…"

"Shut up." Kai scowled.

Kinpira looked up, intrigued.

"If you fight and hurt your hands," Amamiya said, "…"

"I said shut up," Kai said.

"You have to realize… only _ you_ can protect your hands," Amamiya insisted quietly. "It's different from before."

"It's none of your business!" Kai shouted.

Amamiya looked up, surprised and angry. "I'm just worried about you…"

"If you want to worry, worry about yourself, Amamiya!" Kai said angrily. "If hands are so important, why don't you protect your soft, girly hands for the rest of your life!?"

Amamiya stared at his friend _… Ah…_

Kai crossed his arms and sat down on a desk with a "Hmph," his back to Amamiya.

Amamiya lowered his hands to his sides and spoke to Kai's back. "Okay, I'll do that. I'll just worry about myself from now on." He swiveled around the walked out the door, slamming it behind him. The other children moved out of the way, astonished by his intensity.

As he walked down the hall, one of the girls that had been watching in the doorway called out: "A-Amamiya-kun!" He ignored them. "Ah… he's going home," the girl said. "I wonder what's wrong with Amamiya-kun, getting so upset."

"It surprised me a little," said another girl. "I always thought he was just a spoiled kid."

"T-TELL MEEE!" Kinpira shouted. He had watched the entire scene between Kai and Amamiya from the sidelines, and had been too shocked to care that Amamiya had interrupted his fight. However, he had also felt left out and didn't know what was going on, and _that_ was not acceptable. He grabbed Kai's shirtfront. "Hey, Kai! What's this lesson about!?" The other children watched in exasperation.

"I don't know!" Kai yelled.

"What's this lesson about!? I wanna know!"

"C-could it be… a piano lesson?" a boy said to the girl next to him.

"Eeeh, Kai!?" said the girl, skeptically.

"Cause hands are important for that, right…?"

"Can't be… I never knew about that…"

Kinpira listened to this muttering and got angrier and angrier. He couldn't bear not knowing. "Kai! Speak up! What are you doing with Amamiya behind my back!?"

"I have nothing to tell you!" shouted Kai. "You dick-fluttering bastard!"

Kinpira's jaw dropped open.

A boy grabbed the teacher's hand and sprinted down the hall at full speed, dragging her behind him to the classroom.

"H-HEY!" She yelled as they went through the doorway. "STOP FIGHTING!"

After school, after everyone had left and the school had quieted down, Kai went to the the music room.

Ajino looked up when he heard the noise in the doorway. The boy had ripped sleeves, scratches and bruises on his face, and footprints all over his clothes, yet he stood there looking determined and slightly defiant with his fists clenched.

"You look really heroic," Ajino said. "You had a fight?"

Kai didn't say anything, just stood there refusing to look at Ajino.

Ajino smiled a little and grabbed his bag and coat. "Never mind. At least you didn't run away… and came to the lesson." He walked past Kai out the door. "Then let's go, Ichinose!"

Kai watched him leave, confused.

"I found a practice room for you."

Kai followed Ajino out of the school and down the street.

"Hey, Ajino…"

"It's Ajino-sensei."

"Sensei!" Kai said, irritated, making a face at Ajino's back. "Make a "proper deal" with me. I don't have money, but I don't plan to get taught for free."

"You already told me that yesterday," Ajino said.

"I won't run away, neither from you nor the piano! So it's not a valid deal," Kai insisted.

"You told me that yesterday, too," Ajino said. "Why don't you say something new?"

"You see, a "deal" must be profitable for both parties," said Kai.

"Ah… that's something new."

"And you've prepared a practice room for me now; I'm benefiting more than you." Kai sighed.

Ajino looked back to see Kai, brows furrowed.

"Whether it benefits you or not, we need a practice room," Ajino said. They stopped outside a group of apartment buildings. "You said I've "prepared," but it's just the manager of my dorm."

Kai looked up at the apartment complex. _Hrmmm, Ajino lives here, huh._

"Ichinose!" Ajino pointed to a small shed a ways away from the building. "The practice room is right there."

Kai ran to catch up. _I'll be taught how to play the piano by someone for the first time. _

Outside the shed, the manager of the dorms waited for them. She was an old woman with short permed hair. "The room is very soundproof, so use it as much as you want. I was going to have my daughter learn how to play, but she gave up right away. So this has been a storage room for a long time."

Kai bowed to her, embarrassed to be accepting so much charity.

"Ah, no, no! Don't worry about thanking me!" she said, laughing. "Ajino-sensei already thanked me enough for three people yesterday." She opened the door. "I fixed it up anyway. I'm glad it can be used again."

Kai looked in excitedly. An old piano stood in the corner. _My first lesson! _He ran into the room. "Ah, it's an upright piano! I've always wanted to play this type of piano." _My first practice room! _Kai leaned his backpack against the wall and slipped out of his shoes. He watched as Ajino lifted the lid of the piano and invited him to sit down with a smile. _My first… piano teacher._

"Ichinose. Try it out."

"Before that, Sensei! Make a deal with-"

Ajino held out a hand to silence him. "If you really don't run away, and when you are able to play Chopin," he said pointing at Kai, "then we'll make a deal. Of course, something that doesn't cost you any money. Something you can do, and, something that benefits me." Ajino looked down kindly at Kai. "Is that all right?"

Kai nodded. He sat down at the piano, and began to press the keys, lightly. Pooohn. Pon. Pon. Pon. He concentrated on the sound. Ajino stood next to him, listening.

"That sounds good for now," said Ajino. "As you play more often, you'll get used to "normal" pianos. Your fingers will teach you the "degree."" He reached across the piano. "Now Ichinose, I'll play a "finger practice piece," so memorize the sound."

Kai watched as Ajino's fingers moved up and down the keyboard, hitting slightly different notes on each pass but following the same, repetitive patterns.*

_Eh? _"This… isn't a music piece."

Ajino looked back at him. "It's a finger "practice piece," for a musical scale. Try it out."

Kai sat down. The notes came, but laboriously. Ajino pulled up a chair. "That's good. You can play slowly at first. Just continue. Keep the sound."

"This… This isn't a piano," Kai said. His fingers didn't want to move this way. They were tired!

"Maybe it isn't, for you," Ajino said. "Playing the same phrase over and over after changing the scale, it's an exercise for the fingers. It's very monotonous, and it's not like it has a melody, so you can't really become emotional."

Kai grimaced down at his fingers, forcing the notes to continue to flow.

"For you, who has never done the basics, it's the most unenjoyable part of playing the piano." Ajino was speaking half to the floor, and half to Kai. "Continue playing until I say enough. Continue the repetition."

"How is it, Ichinose?" Ajino said, after Kai had played on miserably for what seemed like hours. Ajino had sat behind him the entire time, watching. "You can still run."

Kai glared at the keys.

*Hanon's "The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises.


End file.
